Two men arrested in connection with huge illegal rubbish dump

The site is thought to contain around 20,000 tonnes of waste

Two men have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into large-scale, illegal tipping of waste in Oxfordshire.

The Environment Agency (EA) said 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 on suspicion of environmental and money laundering offences in connection with a massive mound of rubbish tipped near Kidlington, the EA said. They have been released on conditional bail pending further investigation.

The arrests come after a 39-year-old man from the Guildford area was arrested in November as part of the same investigation.

The tip, found between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to be 150 metres long and contains around 20,000 tonnes of waste. It has prompted fears over pollution in the nearby river.

The 150m long mountain of rubbish that has been illegally dumped beside the A34 and near the River Cherwell in Kidlington (PA)

About the arrests, Emma Viner, enforcement and investigations manager in the EA's national environmental crime unit, said: "The illegal dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our environment, and the EA 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."

In December, the EA said that planning work to clear up the illegal site had begun, with waste removal services planned for the end of February.

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.

Police making an arrest as part of an ongoing investigation into the large-scale, illegal tipping of waste at a site in Kidlington, Oxfordshire (Defra/PA Wire)

“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 BBC reported that more than 700 illegal dumps were shut down in 2024-2025, with most often hidden in countryside locations on what should be agricultural land.

Waste crime is becoming an increasingly significant problem in the UK, with high-profile illegal dump sites provoking widespread outrage in recent months.

The dump in Kidlington is among hundreds reportedly still identified in EA data.

Some 517 waste tips were operating at the end of last year, including 11 “super sites”, according to figures obtained under freedom of information laws by the BBC.