The clearance of a major illegal waste dump near Kidlington, Oxfordshire, has been completed at a cost of £6m to taxpayers. The case highlights the financial burden of waste crime, as the government seeks to recover clean-up costs from those responsible while critics argue enforcement has not been strong enough to deter offenders.

About 22,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste were dumped at the site in 2025, making it one of almost 30 illegal “supersites” identified by the BBC. Between January 2021 and March 2026, the Environment Agency secured 66 confiscation orders worth £7.3m, with £1.4m still unpaid; meanwhile, clearing Kidlington and Hoads Wood in Kent alone has been budgeted at £20m, against an estimated £1bn annual economic cost of waste crime.