We’ve been forced to live next to a mountain of trash… it’s horrifying & we don’t know where it came from
Residents have been forced to live next to a horrific mountain of rubbish – and they don’t know where it came from.
The shocking discovery at a nature reserve in Calmore, Hamps, was uncovered after a council meeting.
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Hampshire County Council (HCC) suspects the waste is “large scale” and suspects thousands of PSA containers are involved.
Hordes of aprons and suspected face masks have been left in heaps and committee members are now demanding answers.
How it was disposed of without anyone noticing is a mystery, and the council turned to the Environment Agency to find out more.
And councilors are now wondering if the materials weren’t fit for purpose during the pandemic and they were left close to the stunning scenery.
According to one report, the discovery was made following an investigation into the use of the site at a caravan park.
It said: “Following its own investigations into the use of the site as a caravan park, the New Forest District Council reported the large-scale storage of packs of old PPE.”
“It turned out that thousands of packs of medical aprons had been dumped in the countryside with no apparent indication that they were being protected or stored for future use.”
“The concern is that they were disposed of with no intention of taking them to an appropriate facility.”
“The EA was contacted to find out where the PPE came from and if it was discarded as substandard by a health trust during the Covid sourcing.”
“Inquiries were made with the land registry to determine ownership of the property.”
Councilor Peter Latham said they were appalled when they became aware of the landfill.
He said: “It was a surprise, to say the least – a reaction of horror.”
“That something like this could have happened in Hampshire and no one knew about it.
“To us it looked the same as the masks, but it could also be aprons.”
“It should have been properly disposed of, probably at a recycling center.”
“We don’t know where it came from or who put it there.
“Obviously it shouldn’t have been dumped there – we look at the land register to see who owns the land, to see what was agreed between those who dumped it.”
“Ideally, we would like to know who actually owns the PPE, who was responsible for disposing of it and why it was disposed of there.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.
“None of us have.”
In the meantime, an investigation by the environmental authority has been initiated.
A spokesman said the meeting would be attended next week, adding: “We are unable to comment further so as not to prejudice investigations or subsequent enforcement decisions.”
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