Work begins to remove giant illegal waste tip

A £7.3m operation has begun to remove waste from a giant illegal tip in Oxfordshire.

About 21,000 tonnes of mixed domestic and commercial rubbish was dumped in 2025 between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington.

In November, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the 150m (490ft)-long pile as "appalling" and said a criminal investigation was under way.

The work, carried out by an Environment Agency (EA) contractor, will involve the removal of 15-30 lorry loads of the waste each day. It is expected to take about six months to complete.

The waste, including tyres, shredded plastic and household rubbish, covers about 8,000 sq m (two acres) - an area bigger than a football pitch.

In December, the government said an "exceptional decision" had been made to clear the site due to the risk of fire.

Thermometers placed within the large pile of waste at a depth of two metres were reading temperatures of 78C (172F), journalists were told on Monday.

During a site visit, the EA showed how further waste, separate from the large pile, had been dumped across the entire area.

The other waste was concealed from view by large mounds of dirt and mixed with earth.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, who visited the site on Monday, said the dump was "disgraceful".

"I have seen the immense scale of the site, which I am proud to say the government is now clearing up.

"Our wider Waste Crime Action Plan is cracking down on waste criminals by giving the Environment Agency new police-style powers and using new technology, like specialised drones, to prevent this criminality in the future."

Anna Burns, the EA's area director, said: "Today marks a major step in clearing the Kidlington site and restoring the area for local people.

"We are working to remove this waste as quickly as possible while continuing our investigation to bring those responsible to justice."

She said inquiries had so far led to the arrests of four men and "frozen bank accounts".

A 39-year-old man from Guildford was arrested in November.

A 69-year-old man was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, and a 54-year-old man was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in January.

A 52-year-old man from Ashford, Surrey, was arrested in February.

All have been released while the investigation continues.

The land now covered by the tip was sold in January 2025. Local people said they reported site activity to authorities in June.

The EA, which initially visited in July, wrote to the landowner before obtaining a site closure order in October.

The government-funded agency is paying for the clean-up, which it said should normally be funded by the polluter.

However, it said it would pursue those responsible for payment in due course.

The £7.3m clean-up cost includes £2.5m - £3m in landfill tax, the agency said.

The waste will be taken to a landfill site in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, it added.

The government has also indicated it will fund the clearance of other major illegal waste sites in Wigan, Sheffield and Lancashire, which together contain some 48,000 tonnes of rubbish.

Earlier this year, the BBC revealed that among hundreds of illegal dumps operating across England, at least 11 are so-called "supersites", containing more than 20,000 tonnes.

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