A14 fly-tipped waste takes six months to clear up

A "complex" clean-up of tyres and oil dumped by the side of the A14 has taken six months to complete.

National Highways said it avoided "an environmental disaster" after fly-tippers abandoned the potentially hazardous waste on the northbound section of the road by Woodford, Northamptonshire, at the end of 2025.

The mess - reported on 28 December - has cost National Highways and the Environment Agency more than £500,000 to clear and has been "an appalling waste of taxpayers' money and our time," National Highways said.

"We will always seek to ensure that those responsible for dumping waste ultimately pay for the cost of cleaning it up," the Environment Agency added.

Ian Doust, National Highways' head of network planning and development for the Midlands, said: "This has been a very complex process battling to contain the spillage, protect the environment and remove all of the contamination whilst ensuring the embankment remains stable.

"What an appalling waste of taxpayers' money and our time, all of which could be better spent elsewhere on our roads such as repairing potholes.

"All because someone chose to cut corners, save money, and dump this potentially hazardous material next to the roadside."

He said it was working with "the relevant authorities to help ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions".

The Environment Agency initially contained the oil from spilling further by putting booms in place before National Highways, the landowner, started work in early February.

It confirmed all the waste, including a mattress, had been removed.

A tanker was used to suck the oil out from the ditch - and trees that were soaked in oil were removed.

It also cleared the culvert that had been polluted by oil and replaced the soil.

Yvonne Daly, environment manager for the Environment Agency, said: "These actions put people at risk, pollute land and water, and create a significant economic burden.

"We will continue to work closely with our partners to investigate incidents such as these and hold those responsible accountable for their actions."

She said it was not funded to clear the rubbish that was left, but added: "However, in line with 'the polluter pays' principle, we will always seek to ensure that those responsible for dumping waste ultimately pay for the cost of cleaning it up".

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