The Environment Agency announced on 27 August 2026 that an illegal waste site near the A34 at Kidlington, Oxfordshire, had been fully cleared. According to the announcement, an estimated 22,105 tonnes of commercial and household waste — including tyres, shredded plastic and household rubbish — were dug up and removed from the site, which was described as larger than the Wembley Stadium pitch. Officers shut the site down in October 2025. Concrete blocks were placed at the entrance and the main gate padlocked.

The agency said water quality sampling had been taken regularly at the site and found no evidence of impacts to the local environment. It said its criminal investigation continues and that four people have been arrested. Chief executive Philip Duffy said the agency had also made arrests while pursuing those responsible, and that during Operation Unite it revoked or suspended 17 permits, with further operations planned for the autumn.

The government said it had committed to cleaning up other egregious illegal waste sites, including Bolton House Road in Wigan and Midland Road in Bradford. It also set out plans for a Waste Crime Crackdown Group chaired by Environment Secretary Angela Eagle and for raising fines for rogue actors who dump waste illegally or fail to treat it correctly to up to £5,000 from a current maximum of £300.