🔗 Share this article

---

Fly-tippers have deposited a mountain of waste in a field in Oxfordshire.

The "environmental catastrophe occurring in plain sight" is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

The huge pile has materialized in a field next to the River Cherwell in the vicinity of Kidlington.

Elected official brought up the problem in parliament, saying it was "posing risk of an environmental emergency".

An environmental charity said the illegal waste site was formed about a month ago by an illegal operation.

"This is an environmental catastrophe unfolding in public view.

"Every day that goes by increases the risk of poisonous drainage getting into the aquatic network, poisoning wildlife and threatening the health of the entire watershed.

"The Environment Agency must respond now, not in months or years, which is their typical response period."

A restriction order had been implemented by the regulatory body.

It is hard to identify any specific items of garbage as it appears to have been broken up with dirt combined.

Part of the waste from the uppermost part of the mound has collapsed and is now only five feet from the waterway.

The River Cherwell is a feeder stream of the River Thames, which means it travels through Oxford before connecting with the Thames.

The official requested the government for help to clear the illegal site before it resulted in a blaze or was carried into the aquatic system.

Informing elected representatives on this week, he declared: "Illegal operators have dumped a mountain of unauthorized polymer rubbish... totaling hundreds of tonnes, in my constituency on a water-adjacent land adjacent to the River Cherwell.

"Water heights are increasing and temperature readings demonstrate that the waste is also increasing in temperature, elevating the threat of combustion.

"The Environment Agency said it has inadequate resources for compliance, that the projected expense of removal is higher than the whole yearly funding of the local district council."

Government official said the administration had assumed responsibility for a struggling waste industry that had created an "growing issue of unauthorized dumping".

She informed parliament members the authority had implemented a restriction order to halt further access to the location.

In a declaration, the organization said it was examining the situation and requested for evidence.

It stated: "We share the public's concern about situations like this, which is why we take action against those culpable for waste crime."

A newly released investigation discovered efforts to combat major illegal dumping have been "extremely under-prioritised" even though the problem developing into more extensive and more sophisticated.

The Environment and Climate Change Committee recommended an separate "comprehensive" examination into how "endemic" environmental offenses is dealt with.