Latest news - Kidlington illegal waste site

The Environment Agency is continuing to take action to protect our environment and the local community from the large-scale dumping of illegal waste near Kidlington.

On Tuesday 25 November, an individual was arrested in connection with illegal waste dumping at the Kidlington site. This marks a significant step forward in the investigation, which is being led by our colleagues in the National Environmental Crime Unit. We have issued a press release on the arrest, which can be read here: Individual arrested in connection with Kidlington illegal waste dumping - GOV.UK(External link).

We have been working with our partners to reduce the risk that the waste site poses to the River Cherwell.

This week (25 November), construction began on a barrier designed to prevent any potential movement of waste from the site towards the river and unauthorised access to the active crime scene. Fencing was installed along a 150-metre stretch of the waste pile, and jumbo sandbags were placed between the waste and the river. Construction was completed today (Friday 28 November), and the barrier is now in place.

While the current risk of the waste entering the river is very low, the barrier has been installed as a precaution to protect both the environment and public safety in the event of rising river levels or flooding.

As well as the barrier, we have installed a boom at the end of the ditch to help prevent waste material flowing downstream. We are actively sampling and monitoring the site and other locations on the river.

We have published a blog on the Environment Agency website giving more details about what we are doing to tackle the issue and answering the concerns people have raised about this incident. You can read the blog post here: Update: Progress on managing the Kidlington illegal waste site – Creating a better place.

Please do not enter the site. We have seen reports on social media and in the media of people climbing on the waste and entering the site illegally. It is dangerous to climb on the waste, you are putting yourself at risk and compromising the criminal investigation, which is a criminal offence.

We will share regular updates via social media, our blog and on this Engagement HQ page, so people can follow progress without visiting the site.