Criminals have dumped hundreds of tonnes of illegal waste on a floodplain near the river Cherwell in Oxfordshire, creating what environmental groups call an "environmental catastrophe". The massive pile of rubbish – measuring 60 metres long, 15 metres wide and stacked ten metres high – sits just metres from the river near Kidlington.
The estimated removal cost exceeds the entire annual budget of the local district council.
Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller told Parliament: "Criminals have dumped a mountain of illegal waste weighing hundreds of tonnes in my constituency on a floodplain adjacent to the river Cherwell."
He warned that the Environment Agency cited "limited resources for enforcement" when addressing such incidents.
An organised crime group created the illegal landfill about a month ago, Friends of the Thames identifies. The dump poses an immediate threat to the river ecosystem.
Laura Reineke, chief executive of Friends of the Thames, said: "Every day that passes increases the risk of toxic run-off entering the river system, poisoning wildlife and threatening the health of the entire catchment."
No visible containment or mitigation measures are in place at the site.
Investigation Under Way
The Environment Agency has secured a court order closing public access to the site for at least six months. Specialist officers are investigating to identify those responsible.
Agency spokesperson stated: "We share the public's anger about incidents like this, which is why we take action against those responsible for waste crime." The agency invited the public to report information via their 24-hour hotline: 0800 807060.
Enforcement Challenges
Philip Duffy, the Environment Agency's chief executive, defended his staff against accusations of incompetence following a Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee report last month.
That report warned that organised crime gangs illegally dump millions of tonnes of waste across the countryside annually, identifying Environment Agency incompetence as a contributing factor.
Anya Gleizer, a geography researcher at Oxford University, emphasized the broader impact: "What we have on our hands, right now, is an environmental and health emergency that threatens not only the Cherwell river and its ecosystem, but also poses a direct risk to us: the communities living downstream from the dump-site."
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
