LONDON

A 60-meter-long mound of illegally dumped waste in England’s Oxfordshire has triggered warnings of “an environmental catastrophe,” after drone footage showed hundreds of tons of rubbish piled on land between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington.

Drone images captured by Anadolu show the waste stacked about 10 meters high, prompting concern from local politicians and environmental groups.

An illegal waste dump was found on an Oxfordshire floodplain

📹 A 150-metre stretch of dumped waste has been discovered on a floodplain near the River Cherwell

🚨 This raises fresh concerns about pollution and its impact on the local environment and wildlife

➡️ Fly-tipping… pic.twitter.com/jAgnXJq5aV

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) November 17, 2025

Friends of the Thames said the dump was created about a month ago by an organized crime group, The Guardian reported on Saturday. The group said there appeared to be no visible containment or mitigation measures at the site.

“This is an environmental catastrophe unfolding in plain sight,” said Laura Reineke, head of Friends of the Thames.

Calum Miller, the Liberal Democrat lawmaker for Bicester and Woodstock, raised the issue in parliament last week, saying the “estimated cost of removal is greater than the entire annual budget of the local district council.”

"Criminals have dumped a mountain of illegal waste weighing hundreds of tons in my constituency on a floodplain adjacent to the River Cherwell," he said.