An abandoned factory “undoubtedly” contains traces of mad cow disease that can infect humans, a scientist warned.
Thruxted Mill, between Ashford and Cantebury, was one of five sites in the UK where cows with the deadly brain disease were destroyed.
It has remained derelict for more than a decade since then, but housing developers have expressed interest in building 20 homes in the “terrible” horror movie-esque setting.
And so-called urban explorers — those who visit man-made structures, usually places that are abandoned or hidden — have posted online about visiting the site.
But Professor Alan Colchester, a neurologist from the University of Kent, warned that the area is a ‘biohazard’ and likely to contain large amounts of contaminated material.
Thruxted Mill, between Ashford and Cantebury, was one of five sites in the UK where cows with the deadly brain disease were destroyed
The site (pictured) has remained derelict for more than a decade since then, but housing developers have expressed interest in building 20 homes on the “terrible” horror movie-esque setting
The site (shown on the map) has been visited by so-called urban explorers who have posted online about a visit to the former factory
So “nothing should be done” to encourage people to visit the mill or the surrounding woods and there may even be a reason to asphalt it completely, he said.
Mad cow disease, medically known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a brain disease that can infect cattle, sheep and goats.
If contaminated meat is eaten by humans, it can lead to serious illness and death.
In humans, it can cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) – which leads to loss of intellect and memory, changes in personality and progressive loss of brain function.
BSE, which caused 30,000 cases in animals in Britain at the height of the epidemic in the early 1990s, was last seen in a cow in Somerset in September 2021.
And there have been only five cases in animals in the UK since 2014, none of which were destined for the human food chain.
The drop in cases is due to increased controls by health chiefs, including rules around animal feed and the removal of parts of livestock most at risk of becoming infected.
But proteins called prions that cause BSE are extremely difficult to destroy and can remain infectious for years, for example by living in the soil.
In the 1990s and 2000s, animal remains were brought to Thruxted Mill to dispose of BSE infected livestock.
Piles of carcasses were reportedly dumped at the site.
And local residents complained of foul-smelling pieces of dead cattle, including feet and heads, scattered on surrounding roads.
Speaking of a lorry spilling tongues and blisters the size of a football in nearby Chartham in 2008, villager Peter Hancox said: ‘I’ve lived here for about six years now and we’ve spilled fluid on a regular basis, but this was a chunk of guts too far. . The smell was terrible.’
The site, believed to have been originally developed as a sawmill in the 1960s, closed that year.
Professor Colchester said: ‘The site is a biohazard.
“It has always been known that the infected pathogens of mad cow disease are incredibly resistant to normal decay and destruction and there will undoubtedly be some long-term contamination in the soil.
‘The point is that you can come into contact with it in different ways.
‘In the worst case, you could transmit the disease to animals or people through environmental materials that have themselves been contaminated in the past.
“And with CJD, we’re talking about a seriously long incubation period — from several months to several years.
‘Contaminated residues remained and there is probably still a lot of contaminated material in the soil.
‘Nothing should be done to encourage human activity around Thruxted Mill or the surrounding woodland.
‘If you have places in an urban environment that are polluted, there could be a reason to asphalt them completely.’
Speaking of a truck that spilled football-sized tongues and bladders in nearby Chartham in 2008, villager Peter Hancox (pictured) said: ‘I’ve lived here for about six years now and we’ve spilled fluid regularly, but this was a lot of guts to far. The smell was terrible’
So-called urban explorers — those who visit man-made structures, usually places that are abandoned or hidden — have posted online about visiting the site
Professor Alan Colchester, a neurologist at the University of Kent, warned that the area is a ‘biohazard’ and likely to contain large amounts of contaminated material
Despite the warning, builders and the public have shown interest in the site.
In 2017, developers hoped to decontaminate the site and build 20 houses at an estimated cost of £1.75 million.
When pitching the housing scheme to Ashford Borough Council, the developers stressed that soil surveys showed evidence of matter such as asbestos, metals, petroleum, oils and fats. But no microbiological species such as anthrax or salmonella were found.
The council gave the green light to the 2017 plan, admitting that the site had “the most horrible legacy.”
But the plans were scrapped after a legal battle launched by disgruntled resident Camillia Swire, as they lacked expert evidence.
And the city exploration forum user ’28DaysLater.co.uk’ — named after the zombie movie — claimed they visited the wide open last May.
They said, ‘I’ve smelled/smelled some bad things on my explorations, but nothing, absolutely nothing, can beat this place. It was a mishmash of blood, rust, decay, oil, pigeon droppings and death.’
A spokesman for the Ministry of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “To avoid the risk of spreading disease from residues in the soil, groundwater or air pollution, burying or burning fallen livestock, including all farm animals, in the open air allowed. banned since 2003.
Before that, guidelines for the safe and legal disposal of fallen stock were readily available.
“The risk of biological hazards is addressed through local authority planning processes as historic cemeteries are redeveloped.”