Clean-up of Kidlington illegal waste supersite completed at £6m taxpayer cost

The clean-up of the Kidlington illegal waste dump in Oxfordshire, one of England's largest, has been completed, with taxpayers footing a £6m bill. The site, between the River Cherwell and the A34, held around 22,000 tonnes of rubbish. The government has pledged to recoup costs from criminals, but BBC figures show that in the past five years, the Environment Agency has recovered just over £7m from waste criminals via Proceeds of Crime Act orders, while waste crime costs the economy £1bn a year. Campaigners call the recovered amount 'derisory'. The government has launched a crackdown on waste crime, with plans to clear six more supersites. Four men have been arrested in connection with the Kidlington site.