🔗 Share this article

---

Fly-tippers have deposited a huge quantity of garbage in a open space in Oxfordshire.

The "environmental crisis unfolding in plain sight" is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

The huge heap has been discovered in a open area next to the River Cherwell in the vicinity of Kidlington.

Parliament representative highlighted the problem in parliament, stating it was "posing risk of an environmental emergency".

An environmental charity stated the illegal garbage pile was created approximately a recently by an criminal network.

"This constitutes an environmental catastrophe developing in plain sight.

"Each day that passes increases the risk of hazardous run-off getting into the waterways, contaminating animals and putting at risk the health of the complete watershed.

"Regulatory bodies must respond now, not in the distant future, which is their standard action timeframe."

A restriction order had been put in place by the Environment Agency.

It is hard to identify any particular bits of waste as it seems to have been broken up with earth combined.

Some of the rubbish from the peak of the mound has fallen and is now merely five feet from the stream.

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

The representative asked the government for support to remove the illegal site before it resulted in a inferno or was carried into the river system.

Speaking to parliament members on this week, he said: "Criminals have dumped a huge quantity of unlawful plastic waste... weighing many tons, in my constituency on a water-adjacent land next to the River Cherwell.

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

"Environmental authorities stated it has restricted resources for compliance, that the anticipated price of disposal is larger than the complete annual budget of the local district council."

Environment minister stated the authorities had taken over a failing recycling sector that had caused an "growing issue of illegal waste disposal".

She advised MPs the organization had served a restriction order to stop more admission to the site.

In a statement, the organization stated it was looking into the incident and appealed for details.

It commented: "We understand the public's concern about incidents like this, which is why we respond against those accountable for waste crime."

A newly released report discovered initiatives to combat major waste crime have been "critically neglected" even though the situation growing larger and more sophisticated.

The Environment and Climate Change Committee suggested an autonomous "comprehensive" examination into how "prevalent" waste crime is addressed.