Mountain of unused PPE found in New Forest District Council investigation into Little Testwood Farm caravan park at Calmore
A MOUNTAIN of unused PPE packs was found dumped at a Calmore caravan park.
The haul was discovered during a New Forest District Council officer’s investigation into the use of the land at Little Testwood Farm, writes Natalia Forero of the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
A report into the “large-scale storage of packs of old PPE” was presented to Hampshire County Council’s regulatory committee yesterday (Wednesday), describing thousands of packs of medical aprons which were “dumped on the land with no obvious signs that they were being protected or stored for some future use”.
“The concern is that they have been dumped without the intention of removal to a proper facility,” the report said.
The officer told the meeting the haul was “hidden away” down the back and was difficult to access, adding: “It is a really good example of where there has been an illegal dumping of waste.”
The county council has contacted the Environmental Agency to find the origin of the PPE and “whether a health trust discarded it as substandard during the Covid procurement”.
The Environment Agency has said a visit to the site will be scheduled in the coming weeks when it will consider whether to open an investigation.
In a statement, a New Forest District Council spokesperson said the inspection was carried out to make sure the site is complying with the conditions of its licence.
They added: “Little Testwood Farm has two distinct sections. The first is the occupied part, and the rear section – through a lockable gate – is the second section. It is in the second section, which comprises an open empty space where the items are stored. This section does fall within the caravan site licence, meaning the conditions attached to the licence also apply.”
After the inspection, the district council sent a letter to the licence holders, detailing the “contraventions identified” and the council says it continues to “work closely with the licence holders to resolve the issue”.
