Illegal dumpers submerge countryside in enormous heap of garbage
Local resident
Fly-tippers have deposited a mountain of waste in a open space in Oxfordshire.
The "ecological disaster occurring in public view" is around 150m (490ft) extending and 6m (20ft) tall.
The massive heap has materialized in a open area adjacent to the River Cherwell close to Kidlington.
A local MP raised the issue in parliament, saying it was "risking an environmental disaster".
Protection organization said the unlawful garbage pile was established about a few weeks back by an criminal network.
"This constitutes an environmental crisis taking place in public view.
"Each day that elapses increases the risk of poisonous drainage entering the aquatic network, poisoning fauna and threatening the condition of the complete watershed.
"The Environment Agency must take action now, not in the distant future, which is their standard reaction time."
A restriction order had been established by the environmental authorities.
It is difficult to distinguish any specific items of waste as it looks to have been broken up with earth blended.
Part of the garbage from the uppermost part of the mound has toppled and is now only five metres from the river.
The River Cherwell is a branch of the River Thames, which means it flows through Oxford before joining the Thames.
Official recording
The MP requested the administration for assistance to remove the unauthorized dump before it caused a fire or was carried into the water network.
Addressing MPs on recently, he said: "Lawbreakers have discarded a mountain of illegal polymer rubbish... weighing many tons, in my constituency on a floodplain alongside the River Cherwell.
"River levels are increasing and temperature readings show that the waste is also warming, raising the danger of combustion.
"The Environment Agency said it has inadequate capabilities for compliance, that the estimated expense of clearance is higher than the entire annual budget of the local district council."
Cabinet member said the authorities had assumed responsibility for a struggling recycling sector that had resulted in an "widespread problem of illegal waste disposal".
She informed parliament members the authority had served a prohibition notice to halt more entry to the site.
In a statement, the organization said it was looking into the matter and appealed for details.
It stated: "We share the citizens' frustration about situations like this, which is why we take action against those accountable for waste crime."
A recent investigation discovered attempts to address serious illegal dumping have been "severely neglected" despite the issue growing larger and more advanced.
Government advisors proposed an independent "root and branch" inquiry into how "widespread" waste crime is dealt with.
