More than half a dozen fire engines raced to Launton Road in Bicester to tackle a fire which broke out in a garage.

Flames could be seen coming from the garage door and the home attached to it before firefighters came to extinguish it.

Police closed off Launton Road for some hours while firefighters tackled the flames which were first reported at around midday on Friday, April 24.

Officers urged people to avoid the area.

Fire in Launton Road, Bicester (Image: Neil Plant)

(Image: Facebook)

(Image: Facebook)

The fire service said nobody needed to be rescued by firefighters and would not comment if anybody had escaped from the home before the engines arrived.

Nobody was injured, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

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A spokesman said: “Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called at 12.35pm on Friday 24 April 2026, sending six fire engines from Bicester, Kidlington, Rewley Road, Slade, Thame and Buckingham fire stations, and a hydraulic platform from Rewley Road, to an address at Launton Road in Bicester.

“Crews were responding to reports of a garage fire that had spread to a house. They are using hose reels to extinguish it.”

One pedestrian on scene said: “No one is allowed down that section of Launton road as been closed off by police so even if on foot you have to find another way round.”

Another added: “Oh the poor family, I just hope they are all ok. It’s sad to loose your possessions and home but I hope they are all safe.”

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.”

The former Top Gear and Grand Tour host has made the Cotswolds his home since buying a 1,000‑acre farm on the edge of Chipping Norton in 2008.

He now lives on the estate with his partner Lisa Hogan, and has documented his often chaotic attempts to run the land in the hit Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm.

The show follows life at Diddly Squat Farm, from crop failures and livestock dramas to the battle to open his now‑famous farm shop, which has turned the site into a tourist magnet.

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In 2024, Mr Clarkson expanded his Cotswolds ventures by taking on a pub near Burford, which opened as The Farmer’s Dog in the summer of that year

The inn, a short drive from Diddly Squat, serves Hawkstone beer and food made with produce from the farm and has quickly become a destination in its own right for fans visiting the area.

This afternoon (Friday, April 24), Mr Clarkson has taken to the social media platform Instagram to share that a Supermarine Spitfire has been flying over his house in the Cotswolds.

Posting a graphic of the plane’s flight path, the 66-year-old said: “You, my friend, are welcome to fly over my house any time you like.”

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A Supermarine Spitfire (file photo). (Image: Les Lockhart)

Fans were quick to respond with the post amassing over 30,000 likes in just an hour, as one person comedically responded: “But if it is James May, you will take him out!”

Another added: “Jeremy got that private air show going on.”

A third remarked: “This is the Grace Spitfire, which featured in Top Gear, when Clarkson, Hammond, and May arrived to defeat the German top gear presenters in style!”

Mr Clarkson will return to screens with Clarkson’s Farm series five this summer, which is set to release its first episodes via Prime Video on Wednesday, April 24.