Save Our River Cherwell & Friends of the Thames

Demand Urgent Action Against Illegal Waste Site on the banks of the river.

A site between the River Cherwell and the A34—located on an active floodplain—has become the dumping ground for tens of thousands of tonnes of illegal waste. The pile, now rising roughly 10 meters high, 15 meters wide, and 60 meters long, poses a serious and immediate health risk to the river, wildlife, and communities downstream.

Call to the Environment Agency to take urgent action to Prevent the continued Environmental Catastrophe on the Banks of the River Cherwell

Demand UK Government ring-fence emergency funds for clear-up

Immediate Action Required to contain and clear illegal waste pollution site at river’s edge. 

This unchecked waste mound poses three critical threats:

1. Toxic hydrogen sulphide emissions, which present an immediate health hazard to residents, visitors, and workers nearby.
2. Generation of highly poisonous leachate, which is already entering the River Cherwell. Because the Cherwell flows into the Thames, this contamination will spread downstream, endangering ecosystems and, critically, nearby drinking-water reservoirs within the Thames Water catchment.
3. Plastic pollution of the aquatic ecosystem of the Cherwell and Thames rivers, endangering fish, bird and invertebrate populations, leading to population collapses and further damage to our already compromised water treatment facilities.

We call on the Environment Agency and relevant government bodies to:

Initiate an immediate emergency response to prevent any further environmental harm, with temporary measures to contain the waste site.

Prioritise urgent emergency funding to remove the illegally dumped waste, putting the protection of public health and local ecosystems first.

Secure and closely monitor the site to stop any additional waste from being deposited.

Conduct a full investigation into how this situation was allowed to occur and strengthen enforcement to prevent future incidents.

Work in full coordination with local authorities and Thames Water to ensure all risks to drinking-water supplies, wildlife, and downstream communities are fully addressed.

https://www.friendsofthethames.org/