Kidlington illegal waste clean up officially begins

Some 21,000 tonnes of commercial and household waste including tyres, shredded plastic and household rubbish is being removed starting Tuesday, April 14.

Specialist teams from Acumen Waste Services will work “at pace”, shifting between 15 to 30 lorry loads a day to clear the site and tackle the damage caused by organised criminal gangs.

Work in Kidlington has commenced ahead of the dump clearance (Image: Environemnt Agency)

The clean up is expected to last about six months.

Criminals dumped the waste across 8,000 square metres of land near the A34 in Kidlington – an area larger than the pitch at Wembley Stadium.

Environment Agency officers shut down the site in October 2025, months after it was first reported to Cherwell Council in June.

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Anna Burns, Environment Agency area director for the Thames region, said: “Today marks a major step in clearing the Kidlington site and restoring the area for local people.

“We are working to remove this waste as quickly as possible while continuing our investigation to bring those responsible to justice. Waste criminals should be in no doubt – this type of crime will not go unpunished.”

Emma Reynolds (UK Parliament/PA) (Image: (UK Parliament/PA))

Environment secretary Emma Reynolds said: “The illegal waste dump in Kidlington is disgraceful. I have seen the immense scale of the site, which I am proud to say the government is now clearing up.

“There has already been significant progress, with four arrests made in connection to the site.”

Liz Leffman, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, added: “It is a relief to everyone to see work begin in earnest to get this eyesore removed.”

She said a “huge” amount of planning and preparation has taken place between all involved to get the waste cleared.

“We all look forward to the day when all the waste has been removed and this corner of Oxfordshire can be restored to normality for people and wildlife alike,” she said.

Liz Leffman (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

The Environment Agency continues to progress its criminal investigation into the illegal dumping of waste at Kidlington.

Since the dumping took place, four people all from outside of Oxfordshire have already been arrested by the Environment Agency.

The waste was first due to be removed in February, but this was pushed back a couple of times due to persistent rainfall over the winter.

No further waste spilled into the nearby river as protection was put up around the dump.

In preparation of the clean-up, a makeshift road using stone was put in place from the road to the dump so that lorries don’t get bogged down in the mud.

And eight trees had to be removed so the lorries can access the dump, too.