Councillors, including Cherwell District Council leader Councillor Lesley McLean and executive members Councillor Lisa Smith and Councillor Ian Middleton, met representatives from the Environment Agency and contractor Acumen Waste Services yesterday to assess progress at the site.
In a statement, the council said members were “pleased to see the large amount of progress that has been made”.
The authority added: “The majority of the waste has now been removed and the team are on track to complete their work on schedule.”
The Environment Agency, which is overseeing the operation, said just under a third of the estimated 21,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste has been removed to date.
Around 400 lorry loads have left the site since excavation work began in April.
Officials continue to expect the operation to conclude by late summer.
EA says no evidence of harm to river
The Kidlington site contains an estimated 21,000 tonnes of mixed waste, including tyres, shredded plastics and household rubbish.
Removal teams have been transporting between 15 and 30 lorry loads of material away from the site each day during the six-month programme.
The clean-up operation began in April 2026 after the government stepped in to address what ministers described as one of the country’s most significant illegal waste sites.
Responding to concerns raised locally about the nearby River Cherwell, the Environment Agency said its monitoring had found no evidence that the waste had harmed the watercourse.
The agency said regular testing had “not shown conditions are different to other rivers in England”.
It added that the River Cherwell is not designated as bathing water and is instead managed to support fish and plant life.
Investigation into Kidlington waste criminals ongoing
Enforcement investigations also remain ongoing. The Environment Agency confirmed that four men arrested in connection with the site have been released but remain under criminal investigation.
They are a 39-year-old man from Guildford, a 69-year-old man arrested at a property in Andover, a 54-year-old man arrested in Slough and a 52-year-old man from Ashford, Surrey.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds previously described the Kidlington site as “disgraceful”, saying: “I have seen the immense scale of the site, which I am proud to say the government is now clearing up.
“There has already been significant progress, with four arrests made in connection to the site.”
Speak to industry features like the Environmental Services Association (ESA) about the solutions needed to tackle waste crime on a dedicated Roundtable at The Waste Leadership Summit on 15 October 2026. Find out more here.
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