A million litres of rain water can’t escape down Cholsey Brook as fast as it used to, into the Thames flood plain, because of 1000’s of tons of illegal industrial fly tipping that took place in the flood plain between May 2020 and May 2021.

This is a clip from Google Earth clearly showing the infilling in progress, of 0.7m deep waste material. Put OX10 9HG into the Google Earth search tab and select years around 2020-2022.

• The Environment Agency (EA) were immediately notified and a FOI Request (Freedom of Information) asked if any permission to infill the flood plain had been granted.
  • The response was no permission was granted for this (and never would be), so the land owners and the company that supplied the waste have infilled the flood plain illegally.
• The EA confirmed that they had visited the site and were told by the owners that just the drainage ditches were being dredged, while neighbours reported hundreds of lorries coming and going over a 6-month period.
  • Since then, the EA has done nothing.
• Cholsey Parish Council reported this to Oxfordshire County Council who have subsequently done nothing.
• The OCC were sent a FOI request at the end of 2025 but refuse to say what, if any, action they are taking.
• It appears both the land owners and the company supplying the waste (in unmarked lorries) have committed a crime.
• Had this infilling of the flood plain been done legally then it would have incurred approx. £1/4 million in landfill tax, tax that would have been a welcome input into the council’s budget for desperately needed services.
• This video shows the 2 adjacent properties where the Thames Flood Plain has been illegally infilled 0.7m high in one to stop flooding of the property.

• The appropriate staff at Oxfordshire County Council responsible for prosecuting such blatant criminal activity must explain to the people of Oxfordshire what they are doing about it and not try and hide behind the Freedom of Information Act.
• In the meantime, the residents of the Thames Valley, especially Cholsey, may wish to e-mail commentsandcomplaints@oxfordshire.gov.uk and ask the same question: Do they intend to prosecute this illegal action?
• Interestingly, the owners that infilled the flood plain illegally will have problems when they come to sell their property if there is a £1/4 million tax bill outstanding or a potential prosecution where the penalty is to remove the infill and return the land to the floodplain.
• Note: If there is no action soon on the part of OCC then perhaps those responsible, including the owners, the EA, and the Council, should be named.