Kidlington waste mountain handling slammed after new report

An Oxfordshire County Council report has confirmed dumping at an 8,000 sqm rubbish heap close to the A34 and River Cherwell, near Kidlington, continued through the summer of 2025 after enforcement action had begun.

A scrutiny committee meeting on Wednesday, April 22, heard concerns about communication and inaction after the tip was visited in July 2025, as illegal dumping by lorries persisted in a suspected “organised crime” operation.

Cllr Liam Walker for Hanborough & Hailey (Oxfordshire Alliance and Conservative Party Member) said: “We did nothing to stop the lorries going in.”

He questioned why CCTV was not used, and police were not called.

The waste mountain (Image: Jonathan Brady / PA)

Robin Rogers, director of economy and place at Oxfordshire County Council, replied that the majority of the waste had been dumped before the site was detected, and the Environment Agency had immediately taken responsibility for criminal proceedings after the July visit.

He added: “I am not arguing that the system response was adequate, as we didn’t stop the waste in the first place, and that’s why it needs reviewing.

“We certainly weren’t doing nothing in July and August.”

Ward councillor, Laura Gordon for Kidlington North & Otmoor (Lib Dem) was one of the first elected representatives to hear about the dumping – others did not know about the situation until it hit national headlines.

She said “the council swung into gear” in October, but “were slow to get to that point”.

Mr Rogers said the tip had been treated like “business as usual” by the authority, which regularly deals with illegal dumping, admitting “we did not step back and think ‘well this is really very significant'”.

He stated that lessons will be learned.

Works are now underway to clear the waste and should be completed by the end of the year.

Site in preparation for waste removal, April 2026 (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

In July 2025, the Environment Agency (EA) issued a cease and desist order to halt activity on the land.

In October of the same year, it used a restriction order to prevent access to the site after a “spot check” in early September revealed additional waste had recently been dumped.

Since then, four people have been arrested in connection with the tip. No charges have been filed in connection with the tip.

The Environment Agency (EA) did not attend the scrutiny committee and said that this was due to the current pre-election period.

Previously, Anna Burns, EA area director for Thames, said: “We are working to remove this waste as quickly as possible while continuing our investigation to bring those responsible to justice.”