Tree felling ahead of waste mountain clearance

Trees are being cut down on a site of illegal waste dump in preparation for clearing works.

The government said work to clear about 20,000 tonnes of waste illegally dumped on a field beside the A34 at Kidlington in Oxfordshire over a period of several months was set to begin in February.

On Wednesday, arborists began felling trees by the entrance of the site to allow safe passage to and from the main road.

Environment minister Mary Creagh said the clearing work was expected to take about six to nine months.

The mound of rubbish is made of what appears to be processed domestic waste, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tyres and other household items, and stretches for about 150m (490ft) through a field near the River Cherwell.

The Environment Agency (EA) said it was made aware of the incident in July and issued an immediate cease-and-desist order on the landowner, before finally closing the site in October.

Joshua Eastwood, who owns land nearby, previously said he saw truckloads being dumped there every night during the summer.

On 11 December, the Environment Agency (EA) said preparatory work to remove the tip would begin "imminently", but Miller told MPs nothing appeared to have been done.

Responding to Miller in Tuesday's adjournment debate, Creagh said: "The Environment Agency will continue to closely monitor the site whilst preparatory work takes place.

"This is an absolute top priority for this government, my message to the waste criminals is: 'We are coming for you and we are going to shut you down'."

Miller said protecting the people removing the waste and protecting the environment "just takes that bit longer".

"But I will continue to put pressure on the government and the Environment Agency to get it done as quickly as possible."

An EA spokesman said the criminal investigation "continues at speed".

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.