Agency says it is laser focused on addressing 'obscene' fly tip

THE Environment Agency has said it acted “quickly and decisively” to address a huge illegal fly tip that threatens to pollute a river in Oxfordshire.

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The “obscene” fly tip in a field alongside the A34 and close to the River Cherwell in Kidlington has reached 150 metres long, 10 metres wide and 12 metres high, according to local MP Calum Miller.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called the scenes of tonnes of rubbish piled up “utterly appalling” and said the Environment Agency would use all its available powers to make sure the perpetrators cover the cost of the cleanup.

The regulator, which is responsible for waste, said it was “laser focused” on pursuing a criminal investigation and working with other organisations to assess risks and protect the natural environment from pollution.

Anna Burns, the agency's director for the Thames area, said it will pursue the perpetrators to pay for the “blight on the landscape” they had caused.