More than 22,000 tonnes of rubbish removed to clear illegal Oxfordshire dump site

A major government-backed operation has cleared more than 22,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from a site in Oxfordshire, the Environment Agency (EA) has said.

Sky News first reported in November 2025 how the field, located near the A34 and Kidlington, had been transformed into a mountain of illegal waste.

Satellite images from March 2025 showed the site largely covered in grass, but by 22 September, a 150-metre-long and 15-metre-wide area was piled with waste.

The land which hosted the illegal site is just over three acres in size and is largely hidden by trees on all sides, with the River Cherwell running along its west side.

The site was shut down in October 2025.

Specialist teams shifted up to 30 lorry loads of material a day to clear the illegal site, which was larger than the pitch at Wembley Stadium, and made up of commercial and household waste.

Concrete blocks have since been placed at the entrance to prevent access, with the main gate now securely padlocked.

The EA funded the estimated £6m operation, although officials said they will pursue those responsible for the money as their investigation develops.

The clean-up follows a new government crackdown to try to shut down criminal gangs running illegal waste sites.

Philip Duffy, chief executive of the EA, 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."

He added that the organisation was improving the exchange of intelligence between agencies and revoking the permits of those who do not take adequate care.

Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: "Communities deserves 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 incident sparked fears that toxins could leak into the River Cherwell and the wider Thames catchment; however, the EA said regular water quality sampling had shown no evidence of impacts to the local environment.

Four people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

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As part of the government's crackdown, the Environment Agency will be given stronger powers to tackle waste crime.

Under new plans, those who dump waste illegally or fail to treat it correctly could face fines of up to £5,000, up from the current maximum of £300.

Huge illegal waste dumps have been a growing problem in recent years and have been described as an "out of control plague" by the chair of the UK's Public Accounts Committee.

In the six months to July, Sky News worked with scientists from Oxford Indices to conduct testing of air, water and soil at three illegal waste sites across the country.

Across all three sites, the majority of chemicals found in the water samples were above the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) levels - the scientific measure above which there may be harmful effects on the environment.

In response, the EA said its scientists would "carefully consider these findings", adding that "waste crime is an absolute disgrace that harms our communities and blights our environment".

(c) Sky News 2026: More than 22,000 tonnes of rubbish removed to clear illegal Oxfordshire dump site