Production company billed and ‘blocked’ from working in Kent after film shoot rubbish left strewn at Western Undercliff

Mess was left behind after the filming of the Hindi action movie Photo Nik Mitchell

A production company which left rubbish at the Western Undercliff in Ramsgate after filming  last week will be billed for the clear up and will not be welcome to film in Kent again, says the county’s film office.

Crews for Bollywood action production Ganapath were shooting scenes for the movie, due out in India in December 2022, but their production company Third Eye did not clear up despite it being a condition of their filming permit.

Photo Nik Mitchell

Instead the rubbish was cleared by Thanet resident Nik Mitchell who then highlighted the issue to Thanet council.

In a post on his Wildlife Conservation in Thanet page he said: “It’s been lovely having a film crew on our coast for the two days but it was extremely disappointing to see how much litter they left behind. Cable ties, tape, plastic bottles, coffee cups, plastic cutlery and more.

“We picked up the majority of it.”

Photo Nik Mitchell

Nik added: “My main frustration was the fact it was all on the promenade and much of it would’ve already ended up in the sea before I got to it. There were hundreds of people working there so one of them could’ve picked up the rubbish.”

UK facilitation company Third Eye Production Ltd were managing the shoot in this country and Kent Film Office says that company is liable for the transgression.

Photo Nik Mitchell

A spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, we were not made aware of the transgressions until after office hours on Friday, so we were only able to action them this morning.

“Thanet council will be able to clear the area by 4pm today and we have billed the production to recoup this cost from them.

“We always offer bin provision as part of arranging filming, but not all productions do take us up on this as they sometimes have their own people to sort this element of their shoot. This is not unusual.

“In the case of this production, we added the following proviso to their permit, which they evidently ignored: Production must remove any rubbish from site when they leave.

“Despite thorough communications, it is very difficult to know how production crews will act when filming, so gaining feedback such as this is always hugely important to us.”

Photo Nik Mitchell

Third Eye Production Ltd is a UK facilitation company and wholly separate from Pooja Entertainment which is the Indian film company producing Ganapath. Pooja employed Third Eye to manage their UK shooting schedule.

The film office spokesperson added: “Currently, Kent Film Office would not be welcoming Third Eye Productions back into the county due to their breaking of the contract/permit stipulations. This is a very rare occurrence and we only ever found it necessary to block one other company several years back.”

A Thanet council spokesperson added:“Any company or individual who wishes to film on public land is required to request a permit. Permission is granted with the stipulation that appropriate arrangements are made for the disposal of any waste generated while filming and that the area is left in the condition in which they found it.

“If there is evidence that there has been a lack of respect this will be taken seriously and will be followed up with the production company with a request for payment for the clearance of the site.

“Thanet District Council welcomes hundreds of production companies to the area every year and this number is increasing. Having the district feature in high profile photoshoots, music videos, TV programmes and films is a great way to promote the area and generates a significant income to the wider local economy.

“ In 2020-2021, this is estimated to be in excess of £770,000. The vast majority of film crews who come to Thanet are extremely respectful and many return for future filming projects and family holidays.”

38 Comments

      • Should tourists and day trippers to Thanet who leave rubbish be banned also?

        Or only ethnic minority people, which Travellers are.

      • By your warped logic tourists or how grown litter bugs should also be banned or is it only ethnic minority people you want to ban?

      • What about my comments on tourists and day trippers leaving tonnes of rubbish on the beaches of Thanet?

        Need answering or don’t that matter?

    • How come when tourists left 100 of tonnes of rubbish weekly on the beaches, with bins all around them, they are not billed?

      You only have an issue with the small amount of rubbish left by Travellers yearly as compared with tourist rubbish?

    • Why don’t tourists get billed for the rubbish fest during summer or the non-Travellers who fill the streets and beaches with rubbish daily?

  1. Third Eye is not an Indian company, it’s British. They were filming the UK scenes for an Indian Bollywood production.
    I hope the fee for cleaning up will go into Nik’s Wildlife Conservation fund as it was him that did the bulk of the cleaning not the council.

  2. What a joke.
    Beaches strewn with litter all summer from alcohol,laughing gas and barbecues and no action.
    Paying broadcast company banned for litter. The stupidity of our councils never shocks me.

  3. Not just Ramsgate PL but Thanet as a hole and no that is not wrongly spelt I have said many times that Thanet is the a..se end of Kent and this sort of thing shows the total contempt some visitors have for the area hope the fine hits them hard in the pocket

  4. Please could your reporter gather correct facts before you report. A member of TDC informed me that they (TDC) had been boked in to remove the waste – but didn’t get to it in time. Maybe we need to concentrate on slamming both TDC and visitors for the waste left regularly on our beautiful beaches.

    • The facts came directly from Kent Film Office alongside Thanet council. “In the case of this production, we added the following proviso to their permit, which they evidently ignored: Production must remove any rubbish from site when they leave.”
      This proviso was added because the facilitating company did not require bin provision which is offered as part of arranging filming

  5. How bizarre that the usual anti-Traveller pitchfork gang attack Travellers using the article about an Indian film company being banned from filming Kent in future.

    Its surprising they dont use the Southern water debacle to also attack Travellers or the civil war taking place in the council between the elected officials and the executive.

    When in doubt look for the Traveller scapegoats.

    These posters should be ashamed of themselves but won’t be.

    Whatever could

  6. Wow, I’m always surprised when I hear people saying that Thanet is one of the worst areas in Kent. I work all over kent and I would honestly say that these people should have a really good look at the rest of Kent b4 they say such crap. Our coast is fantastic, try living in sheerness or most of Dartford. Also much of medway is so much worse than Thanet..we are so lucky to live so close to the beach and I know this for a fact,if u ask people that live in places like Sheerness, Dartford, medway etc about if they would rather live in thanet compared to where they are then most will choose Thanet. Why do we have so many Londoners moving here? Theres an old saying…. there is no beauty in familiarity. Also my advice for anyone that hates Thanet and thinks the grass is greener elsewhere is instead of moaning and going on about how crap Thanet is then why dont you pack up and Fxxk off to sheerness or dartford etc and enjoy the marsh land and all the industrial estates or the man made built up shopping centres that have no character or charm. No one is gonna be sorry to see you leave

  7. The litter wasn’t the only hazard caused by this event. For two days the road tunnel was closed and this forced cement mixers and juggernauts to bombard the narrow street alongside the arches. If you really want to scare off visitors and alienate local people then nothing beats a cement mixer.

  8. So, let me get this right…. a local wildlife conservationist cleans up the mess, and then the council bills the production company for the cleanup… which they didn’t do… Please tell me that money is being sent to the guy that actually did the work?!

    • Big john

      The film company has been charge for the clean up after they left their rubbish behind.
      The travellers dont get charged for leaving their rubbish behind.

      I think it’s a fair question for TDC to answer. Why charge one group and not the other
      One group had permission to park up the other group dont.

      • Do the day trippers and tourists to the area get charged when they leave tonnes of rubbish in the streets and the beaches and often in full view of bins?

        Still. The question was: why does a article about an Indian film production company trigger the anti-Traveller mob into commenting about Travellers.

  9. So when all the London has come down and leave all the rubbish on the beach are we going to stop them coming

  10. There’s another old saying 2 wrongs don’t make a right, it doesn’t matter who litters they should all be made to pay. There should be a 0 tolerance to littering of any kind by anybody and when it’s known who littered they should be billed and fined. More on the spot fines should be dished out by litter patrols. It’s sad to hear people defending groups for their appalling actions.

    • TOM.

      It would seem people are defending the attack on people who are not the subject of the article.

      If all people leaving litter and mess should be billed then all people doing that should be highlighted and not just certain people or groups.

      When that happens then people are right to point out the hypocrisy or the selective highlighting of certain people or groups.

      Your own post initially seems to support that while the last part of your lost seems to ignore that.

  11. Red Jon
    Why would anyone defend anyone that litters, there is no excuse I don’t care who they are they should all be ashamed and and made to pay. Perhaps the so called attackers are also pointing out the hypocrisy that one group is highlighted and others aren’t. So my post supports the facts that everyone seems to want to ignore. That’s why this country is in such a state because people are defending and making excuses for peopl, while they are just laughing behind your back. Give people an excuse and they will use it. Wake up.

    • Tom

      My point being: Those who use any excuse to target an ethnic minority group have done so here whilst ignoring the rubbish left by others who live in the area or are visitors to the area.

      Two dog fouling the pavement…a white dog and a brown dog…would it be correct to only highlight the mess made by the brown dog whilst ignoring the mess made by the white dog?

      Thats what we have seen from the bigots on here.

      They are not looking to highlight littering but only certain people littering.

      Im not sure there is any one laughing behind backs. That would need to be evidenced in someway rather that perception or opinion.

      • So why do you think they are targeting ethnic minorities, the facts are that when the travellers leave an unauthorised site they leave untold rubbish and more FACT,this is not racist it’s fact and I have personal experience of this so I think it’s reasonable to ask for example why others are not billed to remove their rubbish when you know who’s done it. As I said give people an excuse and they will use it. Strange that you can called people you have no idea what they are like bigots and that’s ok but anyone says anything about minorities and they are definitely racist. So sad you feel the need to defend illegal actions. Belvedere me they are definitely laughing behind your backs.

  12. Not just an issue with visitors to the area. I think Ramsgate has plenty of homegrown litterers. Only have to walk through the streets Monday to Friday to realise that. Rubbish, dog sh*t, dog sh*t in bags. Total lack of consideration and respect for their own surroundings and community. I love Ramsgate and get so frustrated with it being treated like a bum. Come on guys. Let’s do better, try a little harder.

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