Illegal dumpers cover countryside in massive pile of garbage
Billy Burnell
Waste criminals have deposited a mountain of garbage in a rural area in Oxfordshire.
The "environmental catastrophe developing in public view" is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.
The enormous pile has been discovered in a field next to the River Cherwell near Kidlington.
Parliament representative raised the situation in parliament, saying it was "posing risk of an environmental disaster".
An environmental charity said the unauthorized waste site was created about a few weeks back by an criminal network.
"This represents an ecological disaster taking place in full view.
"Each day that goes by raises the danger of poisonous seepage getting into the waterways, contaminating fauna and putting at risk the health of the entire watershed.
"Regulatory bodies must act immediately, not in months or years, which is their standard response period."
Legal prohibition had been put in place by the Environment Agency.
It is hard to recognize any specific pieces of rubbish as it seems to have been broken up with earth blended.
Some of the rubbish from the uppermost part of the pile has toppled and is now merely five meters from the stream.
The River Cherwell is a branch of the River Thames, which means it flows through Oxford before joining the Thames.
Parliament TV
The representative petitioned the administration for assistance to eliminate the unauthorized dump before it caused a inferno or was washed away into the water network.
Speaking to parliament members on Thursday, he declared: "Criminals have deposited a massive amount of unlawful synthetic materials... amounting to many tons, in my constituency on a water-adjacent land alongside the River Cherwell.
"Water heights are rising and thermal imaging demonstrate that the waste is also heating up, raising the risk of blaze.
"Regulatory body reported it has restricted resources for regulation, that the anticipated expense of clearance is larger than the complete twelve-month funding of the local district council."
Government official commented the government had inherited a struggling recycling sector that had caused an "widespread problem of illegal waste disposal".
She told MPs the agency had served a restriction order to halt additional entry to the area.
In a statement, the agency stated it was examining the situation and asked for evidence.
It said: "We understand the community's anger about occurrences like this, which is why we take action against those accountable for illegal dumping."
A newly released study determined efforts to address major waste crime have been "extremely overlooked" even though the situation growing bigger and more advanced.
Government advisors recommended an autonomous "thorough" investigation into how "prevalent" environmental offenses is addressed.