The staggering cost of clearing up massive illegal rubbish dump in Oxfordshire
- A five-month clearance operation has removed an estimated 22,704 tonnes of illegal waste from a field near the River Cherwell in Kidlington, Oxfordshire.
- The operation cost approximately £6 million and involved specialists removing up to 30 lorry loads of waste daily from an area larger than Wembley Stadium.
- The Environment Agency declared a critical incident at the site in November amid concerns over fire risks and potential pollution spilling into the nearby river.
- Four people have been arrested as part of a criminal investigation, with regulators confirming they will attempt to recover the clean-up costs from those responsible.
- The site clearance forms part of a wider government crackdown on organised waste crime, which includes targeted clean-ups at five other illegal tips across England.
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