Starmer says mountain of waste dumped in Oxfordshire field is ‘utterly appalling’
Sir Keir Starmer has described the “obscene” mountain of rubbish dumped illegally on the edge of a river in Oxfordshire as “utterly appalling”.
The fly tip, found in an area along the A34 and close to the River Cherwell in Kidlington, reached 150 meters long, 10 meters wide and 12 meters high, according to local MP Calum Miller.
The Environment Agency (EA) said it was acting “swiftly and decisively” to tackle the major illegal fly problem that threatens to pollute the River Cherwell.
The Prime Minister said the EA would use all its available powers to ensure perpetrators cover the costs of cleaning up.
The regulator responsible for the waste said it was “laser focused” on conducting criminal investigations and working with other agencies to assess risks and protect the natural environment from pollution.
The agency’s Thames region manager, Anna Burns, said perpetrators would be pursued to make them pay for the “degradation of the landscape” they caused.
The comments came after the EA held a meeting with organizations across Oxfordshire, including the county council, Thames Valley Police and National Highways, to provide an update on efforts to protect the local environment and address safety concerns of the local community.
Ms Burns said the waste appeared to be shredded household and commercial waste, including plastic and paper, and was not hazardous, although household rubbish could include items such as batteries.
The Environment Agency first visited the site at the beginning of July after the agency was notified, found a significant amount of waste and issued a cease and desist letter to stop further tipping.
When officers became aware of more litter being dumped in October, the authority applied and obtained a court order to close the site; is now taking action to prevent pollution from the waste dump and investigate illegal activity.
The EA said monitoring of water flow through the area and certain areas on the River Cherwell was carried out, while work was also carried out to reduce safety risks associated with fire and flooding.
Ms Burns said: “Many of the reports occurred without us realizing it. As soon as we became aware we acted quickly and decisively.”
He said the action was focused on two areas: “We are conducting this as a criminal investigation and are currently following a number of leads and remain focused on continuing that investigation.
“And we are working with partners to understand the risks associated with the site.”
There are concerns that waste could leak into the nearby River Cherwell, especially after heavy rain brought by Storm Claudia at the weekend, so agency staff launched a boom to prevent this from happening.
Mr Miller, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, called on the government to issue a directive for Hoades Wood, near Ashford, Kent, in 2024, telling the Environment Agency to clear the site.
He warned the estimated clean-up cost would exceed Cherwell District Council’s entire annual budget.
The issue also came up in the Prime Minister’s questions on Wednesday; Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey asked the prime minister whether he would instruct the Environment Agency to clean up the spill, which has caused a “shocking environmental emergency”.
Sir Keir said: “We have increased the Environment Agency’s budget for tackling waste crime by 50 per cent after giving councils new powers to seize and crush fly tippers, and those who break the law can now face up to five years in prison.”
Ms Burns said: “I completely understand why communities want this waste removed – it is a degradation of the landscape.”
He said the agency had no duty to clean up the waste but had the authority to take action.
“Our priority is to manage the risk and then pursue those responsible and make them pay for it,” he said.
He added that only 20 per cent of waste crimes are reported and urged the public to report anything suspicious to help authorities tackle the problem.
