Environment Agency declares 'critical incident' after mountain of illegal waste dumped near A34

The Environment Agency has declared a mountain of illegal waste dumped in Kidlington in Oxfordshire as a 'critical incident'.

Hundreds of tonnes of waste was found in a field between the River Cherwell and the A34 last month.

More than 14,000 people have signed the petition which calls for the waste to be removed.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds met with the Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy on Thursday to discuss the response to the incident.

She called on the EA to "take every step possible to find the criminals responsible and bring them to justice."

The Environment Agency has named the incident 'Operation Nation' and says the ongoing investigation is progressing and it is following several lines of inquiry.

Additional officers have been deployed to manage the site and to progress the investigation with the EA working with police and fire services and Oxfordshire County Council.

Environment Agency teams visited the site on Friday morning and have agreed a plan for deploying additional protective barriers.

They will now be working with urgency to get these in place to help minimise the movement of waste moving into the River Cherwell if heavy rainfall or flooding occurs, and protect the environment.

The organisation says the site is closed, with no-one allowed to enter the site and climb the waste.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “The appalling illegal waste dumped in Kidlington is disgraceful and I know how strongly local people feel about the site.

“I’ve instructed the Environment Agency to take decisive action to reduce the risk of environmental harm and I am pleased they are now installing additional barriers to prevent pollution of the Cherwell.

“I am being regularly updated on the ongoing investigation, and I want to see justice served for this disgusting crime.”

Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy said: "The illegal tipping in Kidlington is totally abhorrent, and I share the local community's disgust at this case of environmental vandalism.

"Our teams are installing protective barriers at the site in Kidlington. In the event of heavy rainfall, they will help minimise the risk of waste moving into the nearby River Cherwell and thereby protect its water quality.

"We’ve declared a critical incident, meaning the Environment Agency is laser focused on finding those responsible and ensuring they face the full force of the law."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...