Waste mountain to be cleared 'as soon as possible'

The site has been called an "environmental catastrophe"

A mountain of illegally dumped waste in Oxfordshire will be cleared "as soon as possible", the Environment Agency (EA) has said.

The pile is up to 490ft (150m) long and 20ft (6m) high and is located on a site between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington.

A joint statement from directors of the EA and Oxfordshire County Council said they had "agreed to a strategic objective to look at all options for clearing the site".

"We have agreed to work together to tackle clearing the waste in a safe manner as soon as possible," they said. "We will set out further details around options and timeframes shortly."

Simon Hawkins, the EA's director of operations for the area, and Robin Rogers, Oxfordshire County Council's director for economy and place, said they would "manage any risks".

"Agencies have been working closely together to monitor the potential community and environment impacts from the illegal Kidlington waste dump," they added.

Fly-tippers are thought to have started building up the mound of waste in the summer.

The landowner of the neighbouring site said he saw truckloads being dumped there every night for months.

The rubbish itself is made up of what appears to be processed domestic waste, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tyres and other household items.

Last week, a 39-year-old man from the Guildford area was arrested and later released under investigation in relation to the pile of rubbish.

The site remains closed to the public and media to protect the investigation and prevent environmental risks.