More than 22,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste have been removed from a notorious site in Oxfordshire.

The illegal waste site in Kidlington, near the A34 was shut down by officers in October 2025.

The clean-up operation has seen an estimated 22,105 tonnes of commercial and household waste, including tyres, shredded plastic, and household rubbish, fully dug up and removed from the site.

Access to the site has now been blocked by concrete blocks.

Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: "Communities deserves to be free from the blight of illegal waste dumping, and this clean-up shows we will bring hope back to local residents.

"After years of waste crime being allowed to fester, we are taking decisive action through our crackdown, and cleaning up sites like Kidlington is just one part.

"By putting more officers on the frontline and using drones to catch offenders in the act, we’re putting the criminal gangs on notice that there is nowhere left to hide."

Philip Duffy, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: "We are very pleased that the clearance of this site has now been completed, and the EA has made a number of arrests as we pursue those responsible for this abhorrent offending.

"Dumping like this needs to be stopped in the first place. To do that we are going upstream, removing criminals and corruption from the waste system; improving the exchange of intelligence between agencies, and revoking the permits of those who do not take adequate care.

"During our Operation Unite, we revoked or suspended 17 permits and we have further operations planned throughout the Autumn, making use of new powers and resources the government has provided."

Four people have been arrested as part of the Environment Agency's criminal investigation.