Oxford News
Deodorisers needed to mask Kidlington waste dump smell
Work continues to be made by contractors to remove the 150-metre long trail of rubbish in a field alongside the A34.
Between 15 and 30 lorry loads of rubbish is being removed each day in a £7.3 million operation expected to last around six months.
Led by the Environment Agency, the work involves digging up and shifting 21,000 tonnes of waste, including tyres, shredded plastic and household rubbish from the illegal dumping site which covers 8,000 square metres – an area bigger than Wembley Stadium.
The government agency said waste removal is “progressing well” since it started in mid April.
But another problem arising is the smell that is being released from the pile as diggers interrupt the waste which has been sat still for some nine months.
A spokesman said: “We have deodorisers on site to help mask the inevitable odour from the waste.
“As we dig deeper to remove the waste, this may become more noticeable, especially if this warmer weather continues.
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“If you wish to report odour from the site, please contact Cherwell District Council, where you can make your report via their website.
“When completing the details please use the post code OX52JJ and start your description with ‘Kidlington Illegal Waste Site’.”
The Environment Agency first attended the scene of the illegal tip in July 2025, issuing a cease and desist letter to stop further tipping.
When officers became aware of more dumping in October, the EA applied for and secured a court order to close down the site and said no further waste had been tipped since then.
There were concerns that pollution from the tip could spill into the nearby River Cherwell, prompting officials to install protective barriers to protect the waterway.
“The wooden fencing which was hidden by piles of waste is now visible,” the Environment Agency’s spokesman added in an update on the clearance.
“Temperature probes continue to provide live information, with monitoring showing temperatures to be stable and not at trigger points for response actions.”
Such is the progress being made, that the ground is now becoming visible where the rubbish was once sat.
Anna Burns, Environment Agency area director for Thames, said the agency had spent time profiling the waste to ensure it was taken to the correct disposal sites, managing the wildlife, ensuring vehicles could come and go quickly and working with the local community and local authority on traffic management.
Work was also delayed slightly by the heavy rain in February, which made the site waterlogged, but Ms Burns said the team was “back on track now”.
“We have taken time to plan so that we can act quickly, and we hope that over the next few weeks we’ll start to see really rapid removal of the waste, with up to 30 lorry loads a day,” she said.
The Thames Valley Police Abingdon unit arrested a man for “breaching court bail conditions” on Saturday, August 29.
A spokesperson said: “On Saturday, PC Hackett attended reports of a male breaching court bail conditions.
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“With assistance from PC Ellingworth and PC Harvey, the male was arrested. Following a search, a knife was recovered from his possession.”
In a wide ranging update, the force also revealed it had supported in a “concern for welfare incident linked to the night-time economy.
In addition, it had carried out licensing checks across Abingdon with drug wipes used and sent off for testing
OXFORD Mail Camera Club members have been taking photos of their dogs
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The collision happened on the southbound carriageway between Junction 6 for Lewknor and Junction 5 for Watlington in the late morning on Saturday, August 29.
The emergency services attended the scene and closed the road,
National Highways said lanes two and three of the three-lane motorway were shut as a result while crews dealt with the incident, leading to delays of around 40 minutes.
Congestion was worsened by separate lane closures between Junctions 4 and 5 in both directions following damage to the central reservation from an earlier incident.
Traffic built up on approaches to the crash, with nearby areas including Stokenchurch and Lewknor also affected.
Images from traffic cameras showed long queues of vehicles and emergency workers at the scene throughout the afternoon.
AA Travel also reported that one lane was closed on the northbound carriageway between Handy Cross and Stokenchurch due to emergency repairs.
National Highways later confirmed that all southbound lanes between Junctions 6 and 5 had reopened and that the lane closures linked to the earlier incident were also being removed.
Despite the reopening, delays of around 40 minutes remained on the approach as traffic slowly returned to normal.
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