Overview
- Specialist officers are investigating the dump near the A34 at Kidlington, and the Environment Agency is urging anonymous tip-offs to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
- The heap, about 500ft long and 20ft high, was reportedly dumped in one go on a floodplain beside the River Cherwell and weighs hundreds of tonnes.
- Reporters describe shredded plastic, foam and wood mixed with earth, with sections within roughly five metres of the river and heatmaps indicating a rising fire risk.
- Friends of the Thames warn that toxic run-off could harm wildlife and threaten the wider Thames catchment if the waste is not contained.
- Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller raised the case in Parliament as the Environment Agency cited limited enforcement capacity, and Environment Minister Mary Creagh blamed a failing waste system fueling illegal dumping.