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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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.”
