The Environment Agency has committed to clearing a mountain of illegally dumped waste in Oxfordshire as soon as possible.
The mound of waste was illegally dumped over many months on a field between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington, Oxfordshire. The waste is estimated to weigh several hundred tonnes and is approximately 150 metres long and six metres high.
In a joint statement, Simon Hawkins, the Environment Agency’s Director of Operations for East and South East England, and Robin Rogers, Director for Economy and Place at Oxfordshire County Council, said they had ‘agreed a strategic objective to look at all options for clearing the site’.
“We have agreed to work together to tackle clearing the waste in a safe manner as soon as possible,” the statement said. “We will set out further details around options and timeframes shortly.”
Last week, the Environment Agency confirmed a 39-year-old man from the Guildford area had been arrested in connection with the incident.
The regulator has faced mounting calls to clear the mountain of waste. A petition calling for the Environment Agency to remove the waste immediately has almost 20,000 signatures.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, called on the government to intervene and order the Environment Agency to clear up the waste. Davey also said it would be ‘nonsense’ for the regulator to wait until catching the perpetrator before clearing the waste.
The Prime Minister called the situation ‘utterly appalling’ and said the Environment Agency would use all available powers to ensure that the perpetrators cover the cost of cleaning up the waste.