Illegal dumpers cover countryside in mountain of waste
Billy Burnell
Waste criminals have deposited a massive amount of waste in a rural area in Oxfordshire.
The "environmental crisis occurring in plain sight" is around 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.
The enormous pile has been discovered in a open area alongside the River Cherwell close to Kidlington.
A local MP brought up the issue in parliament, stating it was "risking an environmental disaster".
An environmental charity reported the unauthorized rubbish dump was created approximately a recently by an criminal network.
"This is an ecological disaster developing in full view.
"Daily that passes elevates the risk of hazardous drainage reaching the waterways, contaminating fauna and endangering the health of the complete river basin.
"Environmental authorities must act now, not in months or years, which is their typical action timeframe."
Legal prohibition had been put in place by the environmental authorities.
It is hard to recognize any particular pieces of waste as it appears to have been pulverized with soil blended.
A portion of the waste from the uppermost part of the mound has toppled and is now merely five feet from the river.
The River Cherwell is a tributary of the River Thames, which means it runs through Oxford before connecting with the Thames.
Parliament TV
The MP asked the government for assistance to clear the unauthorized dump before it resulted in a fire or was carried into the river system.
Addressing parliament members on recently, he declared: "Lawbreakers have discarded a mountain of unauthorized synthetic materials... totaling many tons, in my electoral area on a floodplain adjacent to the River Cherwell.
"Stream volumes are increasing and heatmaps demonstrate that the rubbish is also heating up, raising the danger of combustion.
"Regulatory body said it has restricted capabilities for regulation, that the estimated cost of disposal is higher than the complete annual funding of the regional government."
Government official commented the administration had inherited a failing recycling sector that had created an "growing issue of unauthorized dumping".
She advised representatives the organization had implemented a access ban to halt further access to the location.
In a statement, the authority stated it was looking into the matter and appealed for evidence.
It commented: "We understand the citizens' frustration about incidents like this, which is why we take action against those responsible for environmental offenses."
A recently published report discovered initiatives to tackle major illegal dumping have been "severely overlooked" even though the issue developing into more extensive and more sophisticated.
The Environment and Climate Change Committee suggested an separate "thorough" examination into how "widespread" waste crime is dealt with.