Illegal waste site near Kidlington

We are currently using this page to share information about the illegal waste site near Kidlington, Oxford. You will find the latest news, information and frequently asked questions and answers about our work.

In the Thames area, we regulate a large number of permitted sites, including factories, landfills and agricultural producers. Over time, this page will highlight the sites that we receive the highest level of interest for.

If you are interested in another site please email our customer and enquiries team.

If you have information or are concerned about another site, please call our pollution hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or use this link to find out more about how to report an environmental issue. Or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously.

Footpath closure: In the interests of public safety, Oxfordshire County Council have temporarily closed Footpath 9 [237/9] from the Bicester Road, Gosford, to the East side of the A34, due to the illegal waste deposit. You can find more detail and a map in the Information bar.

Please do not enter the site. It is dangerous to climb on the waste, you are putting yourself at risk and compromising the criminal investigation, which is a criminal offence. There is 24 hour surveillance in place.



Please register with EHQ to get the best experience on the platform, and to enable interaction with any tools on this page.

We encourage you to subscribe to this project to make it easier for you to follow this and any other projects you are interested in. We may contact you if there are significant updates or important changes to information, however please note that you will not automatically be updated for standard updates or edits.


We are currently using this page to share information about the illegal waste site near Kidlington, Oxford. You will find the latest news, information and frequently asked questions and answers about our work.

In the Thames area, we regulate a large number of permitted sites, including factories, landfills and agricultural producers. Over time, this page will highlight the sites that we receive the highest level of interest for.

If you are interested in another site please email our customer and enquiries team.

If you have information or are concerned about another site, please call our pollution hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or use this link to find out more about how to report an environmental issue. Or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously.

Footpath closure: In the interests of public safety, Oxfordshire County Council have temporarily closed Footpath 9 [237/9] from the Bicester Road, Gosford, to the East side of the A34, due to the illegal waste deposit. You can find more detail and a map in the Information bar.

Please do not enter the site. It is dangerous to climb on the waste, you are putting yourself at risk and compromising the criminal investigation, which is a criminal offence. There is 24 hour surveillance in place.



Please register with EHQ to get the best experience on the platform, and to enable interaction with any tools on this page.

We encourage you to subscribe to this project to make it easier for you to follow this and any other projects you are interested in. We may contact you if there are significant updates or important changes to information, however please note that you will not automatically be updated for standard updates or edits.


  • Preparation works on site continue 20 March 2026

    photo showing a dumper truck delivering aggregate to site Plant machinery compacting the ground

    Our contractors have been layering aggregate over the saturated ground to provide a solid base. After this a top layer of finer aggregate will be laid to build site vehicle tracks. A compound and welfare facilities will also be set up for site-based staff.

    We remain on schedule to begin clearing waste in April.

  • Site preparation works are underway 

    Mobilisation work for waste clearance is now underway. As part of our preparations we are building a track raised out of the saturated ground to give heavy vehicles safe access to the site once waste removal begins.

    Geotextile being laid on site in preparation for aggregate being placed

    		 Aggregate being placed on site
    Aggregate being levelled and compacted


    		 Aggregate being spread on site on top of geotextile


  • Site mobilisation

    Our contractors, will be mobilising on site from Monday 2 March. Over the coming days and weeks, you may see lorries entering the site with loads of aggregate. This will be used to build a track raised out of the flooded ground giving vehicles safe access to the site. Once complete, this track will enable us to start clearing the waste even if the ground remains saturated.

    We are implementing a temporary traffic management plan to manage the flow of traffic and avoid bottlenecks. There will be reduced speed limits and 2 sets of traffic lights. The lights will only be used during site operational hours and will only be turned to red to stop traffic when there is a lorry movement giving safe access to and from site.

    We will also be putting a temporary site compound in place for staff welfare, installing fencing and placing more bulk sandbags to prevent surface water from the drainage ditch entering the site.

    Once this has happened waste clearance will commence. We appreciate that clearance is later than originally forecast, however this illegal waste has been dumped on land which has been subject to significant rainfall. We have had 188% of the long term average rainfall for January and 178% of long term average rainfall so far for February.

  • Waste removal update 18 February 2026

    supporting image

    Recent continuous rainfall has resulted in a significant increase in surface water at the site. This makes it currently unsuitable for heavy vehicles to operate and complete the preparatory work necessary before waste removal can begin.

    We are now planning to import aggregate to improve the saturated ground conditions and enable access for vehicles. Following this other site mobilisation activities will take place to ensure necessary welfare and safety for site operatives. This remains a dynamic situation with site mobilisation now expected in early March and waste removal predicted to start in early April.

    We appreciate that this timescale is later than originally forecast, however this illegal waste has been dumped in an area of floodplain. We have had 188% of the long term average rainfall for January and 141% of long term average rainfall so far for February.

    Other work

    A traffic management plan to minimise impacts on local roads is being developed.

    Waste sampling results are being analysed by our contractor, Acumen, to identify the most appropriate waste disposal facilities to use.  

    We will update this page with more details soon.

  • Latest water sampling analysis

    We aim to carry out weekly water quality monitoring subject to weather conditions and in response to any emerging evidence.

    Due to the recent rainfall in January and February, conditions on site have meant that it has not been possible to gain weekly water samples. This is because the locations where we need to take representative water samples are not accessible. We know that when water levels are high, we are not likely to gain meaningful data in relation to Kidlington due the high level of dilution.

    We will continue to monitor and we will make sample results available as and when the analysis is complete. 

    Our latest results can be found in this section

  • Preparation works

    We have carried out further vegetation clearance work to remove 8 trees around the site entrance. This work is essential to enable access to the vehicles needed to enter the site and remove waste and must be done before bird nesting season.


    The images below show the site entrance before and after the tree work has been completed.

  • Sandbags keeping waste out of the River Cherwell

    This video taken 5 February shows how the jumbo sandbag wall is working well to retain the waste, preventing it from entering the watercourse. You can see the waste in the background.


  • News: Another arrest made

  • Latest news: further arrests have been made

    • Today, the Environment Agency has confirmed 2 men have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the large-scale, illegal tipping of waste at the Kidlington site.

    • A 69 year old male was arrested at a property in Andover while a 54 year old male was apprehended in Slough. Both were arrested for environmental and money laundering offences.

    • These arrests build on an earlier arrest made in November and is another welcome step in delivering justice for the local community.

Page last updated: 20 Mar 2026, 09:33 AM