Two more arrests over 10-metre illegal waste mountain in Kidlington, Oxfordshire

Six people have now been arrested over a massive fly-tipping operation near Kidlington. The £6m clean-up removed 22,704 tonnes of rubbish from the site.

Six arrested as £6m Kidlington waste dump clean-up concludes

Two more men have been arrested in connection with the illegal dumping of hundreds of tonnes of waste in a field near Kidlington, Oxfordshire, The Guardian UK reports. The rubbish — stacked 10 metres high between the River Cherwell and the A34 — was described by local officials as a "mountain of illegal waste".

The Environment Agency (EA) confirmed on Tuesday that a 21-year-old man from Ashford, Surrey, and a 43-year-old man from Stanwell, Surrey, had been taken into custody. Both have since been released on conditional bail pending further investigation.

The two arrests bring the total number of people apprehended to six. Prior arrests were made in November, January (two individuals), and February.

Clean-up cost £6m and took five months

The waste first appeared at the site in July 2025, with the scale of the problem becoming fully apparent in November of that year. The EA shut down the Kidlington site in October after officers identified continued criminal activity following that initial report.

The clean-up concluded last month after a five-month operation. An estimated 22,704 tonnes of rubbish were removed at a cost of approximately £6m — a figure the area's MP noted could exceed the local council's entire annual budget.

The EA's standard policy is to pursue perpetrators and landowners rather than clear illegal dumps itself. In this case, however, officials made an exceptional decision to intervene directly, citing the proximity of the site to the River Cherwell and a significant fire risk that presented, in their words, an overriding public imperative.

The agency received no additional government funding for the operation. The EA stated the costs would be covered through "making efficiencies in its operations". Landfill tax on the cleared waste, payable to the Treasury, adds further cost to the public bill.

'Abhorrent' dumping, says Environment Agency

Colin Chiverton, area environment manager for the Thames at the EA, said the dumping had shown a complete disregard for the local community. "We moved quickly to remove all illegal waste from the site and our teams continue to work tirelessly on this investigation," he said. "These arrests are another vital step in collecting new evidence and delivering justice for the residents of Kidlington."

Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said the government had committed to confronting waste crime and was following through. "These arrests are another step towards delivering justice for Kidlington residents, who have had to put up with the dumping of disgusting waste," she said. "The years of waste crime being allowed to fester have ended."

Eagle added that the government was placing more officers on the frontline as part of a broader crackdown on waste criminality.

The dumping took place while the EA was already monitoring the site following reports of suspicious activity — a detail that has drawn scrutiny over the agency's ability to intervene before illegal operations reach such a scale.

Source: The Guardian UK