Kidlington illegal waste site declared critical incident as Environment Agency steps up response
Protective barriers to be installed as investigation intensifies into large-scale dumping near the River Cherwell
The Environment Agency has escalated its response to the huge illegal waste site uncovered in Kidlington, formally declaring the case a critical incident and deploying additional officers to the area.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds met with Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy on Thursday to discuss the multi-agency operation. Reynolds called the dumping “appalling” and urged the Agency to take every possible step to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
Named Operation Nation, the investigation now involves extra officers working with local police, fire services and Oxfordshire County Council.
Agency teams visited the site this morning and agreed plans to install further protective barriers to stop waste being washed into the River Cherwell if heavy rain or flooding occurs. A temporary boom is already in place, and testing so far has shown no evidence of waste breakdown, although water quality checks continue.
Environment Agency staff will remain on site throughout the weekend and will respond immediately to any issues.
The site remains closed to the public and media, with officials warning that entering or climbing the mound of waste could jeopardise the investigation and damage the surrounding environment.
Emma Reynolds said she wants to see “justice served for this disgusting crime”, while Philip Duffy described the dumping as “totally abhorrent”, saying his teams are “laser-focused” on catching those responsible.