Overview
- The Environment Agency reports hundreds of tonnes of waste piled roughly 10 metres high were dumped between Kidlington’s A34 and the River Cherwell.
- Officials issued a cease-and-desist in July, secured a court order to close the site, and opened a major investigation in partnership with police.
- Heavy rain over the weekend pushed contaminated material toward a brook that feeds the Cherwell, triggering active monitoring for pollution.
- Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller raised an urgent question in Parliament and urged a Hoades Wood–style directive to compel an immediate clearance.
- Clean-up costs are estimated to exceed Cherwell District Council’s annual budget, and alleged links to organised crime are being probed, with the public urged to call the Environment Agency hotline at 0800 807060.