One man has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the large-scale, illegal tipping of waste at a site in Kidlington, the Environment Agency has announced today (3 February 2026).
A 52-year-old male from Ashford in Surrey was arrested yesterday (2 February 2026). This brings the total number of arrests to four, following two arrests made last week and an arrest made in November.
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.
Emma Viner, Enforcement and Investigations Manager in the Environment Agency’s National Environmental Crime Unit, said
The horrific dumping at Kidlington was a deliberate and organised act with no regard for the impact on the environment or communities.
Our teams continue to work tirelessly with the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit on this investigation. This further arrest will be key in collecting new evidence and delivering justice for local residents.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said
The illegal dumping at Kidlington was completely and utterly unacceptable, causing significant harm to the environment and distress to the community.
This most recent arrest is an important step toward justice, and we will continue to pursue all waste criminals until this illegal behaviour is stamped out.
We’re strengthening our fight against waste crime by increasing enforcement funding, deploying more officers, and imposing tougher checks and penalties for offenders.
The individual has 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.
In December, the Environment Agency announced that planning work to clear up the illegal site had begun. A waste removal contract has since been signed and Acumen Waste Services Ltd are now preparing ahead of the waste removal activities, which are planned for the end of February.
We will share regular updates via social media, our blog and engagement HQ, so people can follow progress without visiting the site. Any information can be reported to the Environment Agency via its 24-hour incident hotline at 0800 807060 or anonymously via CrimeStoppers.
