The UK’s Environment Agency (EA) has awarded an £8 million contract to Yorkshire firm Acumen Waste to clear an over 20,000 tonne waste pile in Kidlington, citing pressing concerns over fire safety.
The waste pile, located in between the River Cherwell and the A34, is one of at least 517 illegal dumps across England, which police say are run by organised gangs, offering landfill services at much cheaper rates than legitimate operators. The waste was dumped on multiple occasions between June and October last year. Three men have been arrested in relation to the incident, on suspicion of both environmental and money-laundering offences.
The cost of the clean-up has concerned local communities, with the residents of the constituency of Bicester and Woodstock submitting a petition to Parliament declaring the economic burden should not be met through council tax.
A spokesperson for the EA told Cherwell: “The Environment Agency believes those responsible for dumping waste should pay for its clearance. We took the exceptional decision to begin removal after advice from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service about the possibility of a fire on the site that could have a widespread effect on the community, including closing the A34, raising air quality issues from smoke, and interrupting electrical supplies.”
Its national environmental crime unit has said the agency would look to recoup the clearance costs via the Proceeds of Crime Act from anyone successfully prosecuted in the investigation.
The EA’s direct involvement in this case is unusual, as it is not legally responsible for clearing illegal waste. However, the spokesperson told Cherwell: “While the Environment Agency continues to support the principle that the criminals responsible should cover the cost of clearance, it retains the power to act in wholly exceptional circumstances.”
Mary Creagh, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, explained that “the scale of this fire risk presents an overriding public imperative”. However, the EA spokesperson told Cherwell that “a potential start date towards the end of February is looking unlikely now” due to site and weather conditions.
The 140 meter long and 6 meter high mound, located on a floodplain, poses various environmental risks to residents of north Oxfordshire and beyond. The pile is composed of processed domestic waste, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tyres and other household items. In their petition to Parliament, local residents noted that rising river levels could lead to contaminated waste entering the river and surrounding soil.
The EA has taken steps to mitigate the risk of waste entering the River Cherwell, installing barriers around the site and monitoring water quality. These efforts have found no indication of pollution entering the Cherwell so far due to the waste. The agency has also removed several damaged trees in order to access the site, promising to plant two trees for every one cut down.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds has said that the government is committed to eradicating these types of environmental crimes by increasing funds to tackle waste crime, hiring more officers, and introducing tougher penalties for offenders.
Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Under-Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has also pledged greater government efforts in prevention and disruption, particularly through the introduction of digital waste tracking to help fight waste crime. Speaking in the House of Lords, Hayman said: “It is important to say quite clearly that the government do not believe that the status quo is working.”
Acumen Waste were approached for comment.
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