Illegal dumpers bury field in mountain of rubbish

Waste pile in Oxfordshire Billy Burnell
Illegal dumping site

The area has been labeled an "environmental catastrophe".
Journalist inspected the scene and said the mound appeared to be "twenty feet in height at least".

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

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

The huge heap has been discovered in a plot of land adjacent to the River Cherwell in the vicinity of Kidlington.

Parliament representative brought up the situation in parliament, declaring it was "posing risk of an environmental disaster".

An environmental charity said the unauthorized waste site was created around a month ago by an criminal network.

"This constitutes an environmental crisis unfolding in plain sight.

"Daily that passes increases the risk of hazardous drainage getting into the waterways, contaminating wildlife and threatening the health of the whole river basin.

"Regulatory bodies must act promptly, not in months or years, which is their standard response period."

A restriction order had been put in place by the regulatory body.

It is hard to distinguish any individual pieces of garbage as it appears to have been broken up with earth mixed in.

Part of the garbage from the top of the pile has toppled and is now only five meters from the stream.

The River Cherwell is a feeder stream of the River Thames, which signifies it flows through Oxford before joining the Thames.

Parliament discussion about waste crisis Parliament TV
Parliament representative mentioned the cost of clearing the waste would be significant

The MP petitioned the authorities for assistance to eliminate the unauthorized dump before it resulted in a blaze or was washed away into the river system.

Addressing MPs on recently, he declared: "Illegal operators have dumped a huge quantity of illegal polymer rubbish... weighing hundreds of tonnes, in my electoral area on a water-adjacent land next to the River Cherwell.

"Water heights are increasing and heatmaps demonstrate that the waste is also heating up, increasing the danger of combustion.

"Regulatory body said it has limited resources for regulation, that the estimated cost of disposal is greater than the whole twelve-month budget of the local district council."

Environment minister commented the administration had inherited a underperforming waste industry that had created an "growing issue of illegal dumping".

She advised parliament members the organization had issued a restriction order to halt additional entry to the location.

In a announcement, the agency stated it was looking into the incident and asked for evidence.

It commented: "We understand the citizens' frustration about occurrences like this, which is why we respond against those culpable for environmental offenses."

A recently published report determined attempts to address major environmental offenses have been "severely overlooked" even though the problem developing into bigger and more advanced.

Government advisors recommended an autonomous "comprehensive" inquiry into how "widespread" environmental offenses is tackled.

Jared Jenkins
Jared Jenkins

Maya is a tech enthusiast and lifestyle blogger with a passion for sharing innovative ideas and practical advice.