More waste uncovered at enormous illegal dump site

Teams working to clear an enormous illegal waste dump in Oxfordshire have discovered more waste that had been hidden underground at the site.

About 21,000 tonnes of mixed domestic and commercial rubbish was found dumped between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington in November.

A £7.3m Environment Agency (EA) operation to remove the waste began in April and is expected to take six months to complete.

Issuing an update on the works, the EA said it had now uncovered "further buried waste" at the site, which had been "hidden by a thick layer of soil".

It explained that the discovery of a pit - measuring approximately 2m (6ft 6in) deep and 10m (32ft 9in) wide - had been made after the site compound, cabins and track matting for heavy vehicles were removed in early July.

"We have now removed the stone base that the temporary compound was located on. In doing so we have found further buried waste," the agency explained.

An EA contractor has been carrying out the removal work - which, at its peak, saw the removal of up to 30 lorry-loads of the waste each day.

Following the latest discovery, the EA said it now aimed to have all of the remaining waste removed "over the coming weeks".

Alongside the waste removal, the agency added that an official from Oxfordshire County Council had visited the site to "make recommendations for the eventual reopening" of the public footpath that runs through it.

When the dump first hit headlines, then Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the 150m (490ft)-long pile as "appalling" and said a criminal investigation was under way.

Four men have so far been arrested in connection with the illegal waste tip. All have since been released while the investigation continues.

At its largest, the waste, including tyres, shredded plastic and household rubbish, had covered about two acres (8,000 sq m) - an area bigger than a football pitch.

The government later said an "exceptional decision" had been made to clear the site due to the risk of fire.