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.

Waste is being removed from the Kidlington site (Image: Environment Agency)

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.

Diggers remove the waste (Image: Environment Agency)

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.