Two more men arrested for illegal waste dumping at Kidlington site
Further arrests made as part of Environment Agency investigation, supported by Surrey Police and the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit
A photo of the cleaned-up Kidlington waste site
Two men have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the large-scale, illegal dumping of waste at the infamous site in Kidlington, the Environment Agency has announced today (8 September 2026).
A 21-year-old male from Ashford in Surrey and a 43-year-old male from Stanwell in Surrey were arrested. This brings the total number of arrests to six, following one arrest in February 2026, two in January 2026 and one in November 2025.
The Environment Agency’s investigation is being led by its National Environmental Crime Unit, which is seeking to find those responsible for the offending, hold them to account and deliver justice for the local community.
Colin Chiverton, Area Environment Manager for the Thames at the Environment Agency, said:
The dumping at Kidlington was abhorrent and had no regard for the local community.
We moved quickly to remove all illegal waste from the site, and our teams continue to work tirelessly on this investigation. These arrests are another vital step in collecting new evidence and delivering justice for the residents of Kidlington.
Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said:
This government said we’d take on waste criminals, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.
These arrests are another step towards delivering justice for Kidlington residents, who have had to put up with the dumping of disgusting waste.
The years of waste crime being allowed to fester have ended. We are taking decisive action through our crackdown and putting more officers on the frontline to restore pride in our communities.
The individuals have been released on conditional bail pending further investigations.
Following the first report of waste being tipped in Kidlington, the Environment Agency responded immediately with officers attending the site on 2 July 2025. A further site visit carried out in July showed no change to the site and no further waste deposits therefore a cease-and-desist letter was issued to ensure further tipping was prevented.
After officers became aware of continued criminal activity on site in October 2025, a court order was sought and granted to close the site. Since this was granted on 23 October 2025, no further tipping has taken place.
Last month, the Environment Agency announced that the site had been fully cleaned, with an estimated 22,105 tonnes of commercial and household waste, including tyres, shredded plastic, and household rubbish, removed.
Under the Prime Minister’s crackdown on waste crime, the government and Environment Agency are working together to ensure serious, organised criminal gangs have nowhere to hide.
The government has also committed to cleaning up some of the country’s most egregious illegal waste sites, including Bolton House Road in Wigan and Midland Road in Bradford. These sites were prioritised on scale, risk to nearby communities, environmental damage, and links to persistent non-compliance and organised waste crime.
Greater use of drones, a bigger role for Mayors and the police, more EA officers on the frontline, and a dramatic rise in fines will deter and punish those who dump illegally. Alongside this, a new Waste Crime Crackdown Group, chaired by Environment Secretary Angela Eagle, will bring regulators and law enforcement together to dismantle criminal operations and deliver results.
Updates to this page
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Included a statement from Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle.
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First published.