A major five-month project to remove an illegal waste dump near the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire has been completed – landing taxpayers with a £6m bill.
The 150-metre stretch of refuse was left in a field adjacent to the A34 at Kidlington last year, prompting widespread outrage, a criminal investigation and the Environment Agency (EA) declaring a critical incident in November.
The watchdog subsequently coordinated the clearance operation, with contractors removing between 15 and 30 lorry loads of rubbish each day from April.
Over five months, specialists from Acumen Waste Service removed an estimated 22,704 tonnes of waste.
They dug up and shifted waste including tyres, shredded plastic and household waste from an 8,000sqm area, which is bigger than Wembley Stadium.
They have now placed concrete blocks at the entrance and the main gate has been securely padlocked to prevent access to the site, officials said.
The operation comes as part of a wider government crackdown on illegal tipping after a surge in organised waste crime across the country in recent years.
Environment secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: “Communities deserve to be free from the blight of illegal waste dumping, and this clean-up shows we will bring hope back to local residents.
“After years of waste crime being allowed to fester, we are taking decisive action through our crackdown, and cleaning up sites like Kidlington is just one part.
“By putting more officers on the frontline and using drones to catch offenders in the act, we’re putting the criminal gangs on notice that there is nowhere left to hide.”
The Environment Agency shut down the Kidlington site in October 2025, with a decision taken on December 11 to clear the rubbish amid the risk of fire breaking out.
There had also been concerns that pollution from the tip could spill into the nearby River Cherwell, prompting officials to install barriers to protect the waterway.
Water quality sampling was regularly taken at the site but found no evidence of a significant impact on the local environment, officials said. The Environment Agency’s criminal investigation has seen four people arrested.
Philip Duffy, chief executive of the regulator, said: “We are very pleased that the clearance of this site has now been completed, and the EA has made a number of arrests as we pursue those responsible for this abhorrent offending.
“Dumping like this needs to be stopped in the first place.
“To do that, we are going upstream, removing criminals and corruption from the waste system; improving the exchange of intelligence between agencies; and revoking the permits of those who do not take adequate care.”
The agency funded the estimated £6m Cherwell operation, although officials said they will pursue those responsible for the money as their investigation develops.
The government has also pledged to clean five other illegal waste sites, including Bolton House Road in Wigan, where 18,000 tonnes of waste was dumped, and a stretch of land in Hyndburn, Lancashire, where 10,000 tonnes was left.
