A 20-foot high mountain of rubbish has been dumped in a field in Oxfordshire and people are rightly asking how on earth this happened
This is the kind of viral clip that is so shocking, you feel the need to check if it’s fake or AI.
But, no. This is real. It’s the site of a huge mountain of rubbish caused by fly tipping in Oxfordshire, in the southeast of England.
This is completely unacceptable.
Rubbish as deep as 20 ft and 500 ft long dumped into the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire.
I’ve never seen a disgusting sight like this in England before. A first world country should never look like this. pic.twitter.com/NRHgJaATJp
— Chris Rose (@ArchRose90) November 14, 2025
The rubbish pile is in a field between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington, and is believed to be up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.
The charity, Friends of the Thames, has called the site “an environmental catastrophe”, as the toxic runoff from the waste will be running into the local water.
And local MP, Calum Miller, told parliament the “estimated cost of removal is greater than the entire annual budget of the local district council”.
The shocking scenes of the rubbish pile have gone viral on social media. Here’s a selection of the responses.
1.
What an image pic.twitter.com/m2IOWg8ak0
— Ed West (@edwest) November 15, 2025
2.
It is surely not credible that no evidence exists, of who was dumping this? Must have been hundreds of truck loads, presumably using vehicles that have been picked up on camera? https://t.co/O7hJVg5Cah
— simon evans (@TheSimonEvans) November 15, 2025
3.
Astonishing and horrific. This is not a fly-tip, it should be declared an environmental disaster. These criminals must be sent to jail for 10 years, fined £50,000 each, banned from driving for life… and made to clear this disaster zone up. https://t.co/mhNko1dtXK
— Clean Up Britain (@cleanupbritain) November 14, 2025
4.
SHOCKING
A HUGE illegal waste dump has appeared between the A34 and River Cherwell, linked to organised crime.
Every rainfall risks toxins washing into the river.
We’re calling on the Environment Agency & Cherwell Council to act NOW.
Our rivers cannot wait. pic.twitter.com/dMTY3ipoOd
— RiverActionUK (@RiverActionUK) November 15, 2025
5.
This is part of a broader trend of illegal waste dumping by criminal gangs across the UK, as noted in a House of Lords report from October 2025, which identified waste crime as a "low-risk, high-reward" enterprise costing the economy £1 billion annually due to clean-up costs and…
— Truth Media Outlet (@Truth___Media) November 15, 2025
6.
Thought I'd have a look at the aerial photo history of the River Cherwell dump site on Google Earth. As recently as April 2024 (left photo) this site was green English fields. Compare with July 2025 (right). https://t.co/KwYXabEO8d pic.twitter.com/F1Ht4z1AYm
— Jacob Shell (@JacobAShell) November 16, 2025
7.
There is typically a paper trail of different agencies passing the buck between them in cases like this. We're currently cleaning up something similar in Hoad's Wood, in Kent. https://t.co/YsRhNBhuDr
And then there's the extraordinary tale of the Rainham Volcano…
— Adam Hibbert (@adhib) November 15, 2025
8.
Fly tipping the curse of the countryside. No thought, not my problem, could not care less mindset.
— Sammy White (@sammysangel) November 14, 2025
9.
COMPLETELY AGREE! They should pick every piece up by hand. Not released until it's clean.https://t.co/yXV2WpLNGx
— Cllr. Matthew Goodwin-Freeman (@MGoodwinFreeman) November 15, 2025
10.
The fly tipping is appalling but it has largely come about because government has raised legal disposal costs to unreasonable levels, which has created an opportunity for criminals.
Presumably there is little money made as the council often ends up with the cost of the clearance.…— John Bull (@54JohnBull) November 14, 2025
11.
“It appeared” really? This rubbish didn’t “appear”
It’s there because there was a slow build up and no one did their job, set up surveillance cameras and prosecuted them before it reached this point.
Basically, as with so many services these days, no one can be bothered.— Adrian Hopkins (@AdrianJHopkins) November 15, 2025
12.
This is hundreds of lorry loads. It would have taken months.
— Danneral (@danneral) November 14, 2025
12.
This is absolutely disgusting.
A mountain of waste in a field in Oxfordshire. 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high and has appeared on a site between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington.
Britain is becoming a wasteland rather than a green and pleasant land. pic.twitter.com/y8o2pXprGx
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) November 15, 2025
Source: Twitter/X/@bbcnews and @ArchRose90