{"id":262452,"date":"2025-11-14T13:14:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T13:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/262452\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T13:14:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T13:14:14","slug":"britains-biggest-ever-fly-tip-is-massive-500ft-long-mountain-of-rubbish-as-activists-condemn-environmental-catastrophe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/262452\/","title":{"rendered":"Britain’s ‘biggest ever’ fly tip is massive 500ft-long mountain of rubbish – as activists condemn ‘environmental catastrophe’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you live in a fly-tipping hotspot? Email elizabeth.haigh@dailymail.co.uk\u00a0<\/p>\n

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER<\/a> <\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 06:08 EST, 14 November 2025 | Updated: 06:09 EST, 14 November 2025 <\/p>\n

One of Britain’s ‘biggest ever’ fly tips has appeared in Oxfordshire and is a massive 500ft-long mountain of abandoned rubbish, prompting activists to condemn the ‘environmental catastrophe’.<\/p>\n

The 20ft-high pile of hazardous rubbish\u00a0was illegally dumped in a field next to the A34 and River Cherwell near Kidlington in Oxfordshire.<\/p>\n

It is believed the waste was dumped in one go and it has since been described by an MP as ‘threatening an environmental disaster’.<\/p>\n

It was discovered last month by horrified anglers and contains plastic, foam and wood.<\/p>\n

Charity Friends of the Thames told the BBC<\/a>: ‘This is an environmental catastrophe unfolding in plain sight.<\/p>\n

‘Every day that passes increases the risk of toxic run-off entering the river system, poisoning wildlife and threatening the health of the entire catchment.’<\/p>\n

The Environment Agency has confirmed a probe has been launched and has encouraged anyone with any information to get in touch as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

It is hard to distinguish any particular bits of waste as it appears to have been shredded, and earth mixed in.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The 20ft-high pile of hazardous rubbish was illegally dumped in a field next to the A34 and River Cherwell near Kidlington in Oxfordshire<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The 150ft-long dump has been described as one of the biggest fly tips ever seen in Britain<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The fly tip was discovered last month by horrified anglers and contains plastic, foam and wood<\/p>\n

Some of the rubbish has fallen down because it was so tall, which has left the waste just five metres from the river.<\/p>\n

The fly tip was first discovered by the Kidlington Angling Society, and was has been described by activists as ‘horrendous’.<\/p>\n

Calum Miller, Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, raised the issue in Parliament.<\/p>\n

Addressing MPs on Thursday, he said: ‘Criminals have dumped a mountain of illegal plastic waste… weighing hundreds of tonnes, in my constituency on a floodplain adjacent to the River Cherwell.<\/p>\n

‘River levels are rising and heatmaps show that the waste is also heating up, raising the risk of fire.<\/p>\n

‘The Environment Agency said it has limited resources for enforcement, that the estimated cost of removal is greater than the entire annual budget of the local district council.’<\/p>\n

Responding, environment minister Mary Creagh said Labour inherited a ‘failing’ waste system that has caused an ‘epidemic of illegal fly-tipping’.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: ‘The Environment Agency is aware and investigating.<\/p>\n

‘If anyone has any information then please call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.’<\/p>\n

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\n Britain’s ‘biggest ever’ fly tip is massive 500ft-long mountain of rubbish – as activists condemn ‘environmental catastrophe’<\/p>\n