Clean-up of illegal waste supersite costs taxpayers £6m
The bill for clearing the dump in Oxfordshire has been covered by taxpayers.
A £6 million clean-up of England's largest illegal waste tip has been completed, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill. The government plans to recoup the costs from the criminals responsible. In 2025, over 22,000 tonnes of waste was dumped at the Kidlington site in Oxfordshire, one of nearly 30 "supersites" discovered by a BBC investigation.
The Environment Agency has recovered £7.3 million in confiscation orders from waste criminals over the past five years but cautions the amount is "derisory" compared to the £1 billion annual cost waste crime imposes on the economy. Campaigners and rural landowners have criticized the small recovery of funds, calling for more stringent enforcement and asset seizure to deter future waste crime.
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