"The time for talking is over": Ed Davey visits the illegal tip near Kidlington
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey calls for urgent action on the waste mountain near the River Cherwell
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey visited the mountain of waste illegally dumped near Kidlington yesterday, alongside Bicester and Woodstock MP Calum Miller.
They are calling on the Government to take immediate action to address the towering pile of waste.
The dumped rubbish is located between the A34 and the River Cherwell and stretches an estimated 150 metres long and up to 12 metres high.
Local residents and environmentalists have raised concerns over potential leaks from the waste into the surrounding area, as well as it contaminating drinking water.
Calum Miller said: “The River Cherwell flows within about eight feet of the base of the enormous waste heap, and through the dry summer months no action has been taken to protect the Cherwell from that waste.
"Chemicals are going to be leaching into the ground, potentially leaching into watercourses. But unless we take action now, this area, which is a floodplain, could see the plastics that are there floating down the Cherwell, contaminating the Cherwell and then onto the Thames.”
Within the last week, it was discovered that the Environment Agency were informed about a build-up in rubbish and visited the site in July, before closing it in October.
Ed Davey emphasised his disappointment in the lack of action since the first alert and the urgency he believes this should be dealt with moving forward.
He said: “They’ve known about it and I’m afraid they’ve not acted quickly. They could’ve stopped people coming onto that land in the first place.
"The Environment Agency first visited this site on the 2nd of July. More dump has been illegally put here in the meantime so the time for talking is over, they have to act."
As part of the visit, Sir Ed Davey also highlighted the need to find the people who are responsible for the waste to reimburse the clean-up, as well as make long-term changes to prevent illegal waste dumps from becoming a recurring issue
“Let’s go after criminals to make them pay it back but let’s also change the law so we stop this happening in the first place. Let’s make sure our authorities, be they the environment, police or others, respond much more quickly when people sound the alarm,” he said.