A 150-meter-long “garbage river” has formed in Oxfordshire, England, after organized crime groups dumped hundreds of tons of illegal waste in a floodplain between the River Cherwell and the A34.
UK MP Calum Miller warned in Parliament that the waste is heating up and poses a fire risk, saying cleanup costs exceed the local council’s annual budget. Environmental groups called the situation “an unfolding disaster” with rising danger of toxic runoff entering the river system.
The UK Environment Agency has closed the site to the public for at least six months as investigations continue.