Two men have been arrested as part of the Environment Agency's ongoing investigation into large-scale illegal waste dumping at a site near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

Officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), working with Thames Valley Police, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary and Surrey Police, executed warrants on 29 January at two separate locations. A 69-year-old man was arrested at a property in Andover, while a 54-year-old man was apprehended in Slough. Both were arrested for environmental and money laundering offences and have been released on conditional bail pending further investigation.

The arrests follow an earlier detention in November 2025, when a 39-year-old man from the Guildford area was arrested in connection with the same site.

Scale of the illegal dump

The waste pile at Kidlington is estimated to contain approximately 21,000 tonnes of material, stretching up to 150 metres in length and six metres in height. The site lies between the River Cherwell and the A34, with the waste pile located around ten metres from the watercourse at its closest point.

The Environment Agency has confirmed that the waste appears to have been through a mechanical treatment process, indicating organised criminality rather than opportunistic fly-tipping. The material comprises processed domestic waste including shredded plastics, polystyrene, tyres and other household items.

Emma Viner, Enforcement and Investigations Manager in the Environment Agency's National Environmental Crime Unit, said: "The illegal dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our environment, and the Environment Agency shares the community's anger at this horrific crime. Our teams have been working tirelessly with the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit on this investigation. These joint efforts have resulted in further arrests, which are another vital step in collecting new evidence and progressing our investigation."

Clearance contract awarded

The Environment Agency, which is not legally responsible for clearing illegal waste and is not funded to do so, took the exceptional decision in December 2025 to fund clearance of the site following new information about fire risk.

Acumen Waste Services Limited has been awarded the waste removal contract, with clearance activities expected to begin at the end of February. The contract value is £9.6 million, with clearance anticipated to take between six and nine months.

Preparatory work has already commenced, with Oxfordshire County Council Tree Service undertaking site entrance preparation in early January. The Environment Agency has stated it will seek to recover clearance costs under the Proceeds of Crime Act from anyone successfully prosecuted.

Government response

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: "The illegal dumping of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has caused significant damage to the environment and distress to the local community. I welcome these arrests – an important step in securing justice for local residents. The government is committed to stamping out this type of criminality across the country, by boosting funds to tackle waste crime, hiring more officers and introducing tougher checks and penalties for those who break the law."

The Kidlington site is one of 517 illegal waste dumps identified across England, according to recent figures. At least 11 of these sites contain more than 20,000 tonnes of waste, with the largest – in Northwich, Cheshire – holding 280,000 tonnes before Environment Agency intervention.

Waste crime is estimated to cost the English economy £1 billion annually in lost tax revenue, clean-up costs and lost trade for legitimate businesses.