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Waste criminals have dumped a mountain of rubbish in a rural area in Oxfordshire.

The "environmental crisis unfolding in plain sight" is around 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

The enormous pile has appeared in a plot of land adjacent to the River Cherwell close to Kidlington.

Parliament representative brought up the problem in parliament, stating it was "risking an environmental emergency".

An environmental charity stated the unlawful waste site was formed approximately a month ago by an criminal network.

"This constitutes an environmental catastrophe developing in public view.

"Every day that goes by elevates the threat of poisonous drainage getting into the waterways, poisoning fauna and endangering the condition of the whole river basin.

"The Environment Agency must act promptly, not in months or years, which is their usual response period."

A restriction order had been put in place by the Environment Agency.

It is hard to recognize any particular bits of garbage as it appears to have been pulverized with soil mixed in.

Some of the waste from the uppermost part of the heap has toppled and is now only five feet from the waterway.

The River Cherwell is a branch of the River Thames, which indicates it travels through Oxford before meeting the Thames.

The official requested the administration for support to clear the illegal tip before it caused a fire or was swept into the aquatic system.

Speaking to elected representatives on recently, he said: "Lawbreakers have discarded a huge quantity of illegal plastic waste... amounting to many tons, in my constituency on a riverside area alongside the River Cherwell.

"Water heights are rising and heatmaps indicate that the garbage is also heating up, raising the threat of combustion.

"Environmental authorities said it has limited resources for regulation, that the anticipated cost of clearance is greater than the complete annual funding of the regional government."

Government official stated the administration had taken over a struggling disposal business that had resulted in an "growing issue of unlawful waste disposal".

She advised representatives the authority had served a access ban to prevent further admission to the location.

In a announcement, the authority stated it was examining the matter and appealed for details.

It commented: "We understand the community's frustration about occurrences like this, which is why we intervene against those culpable for waste crime."

A recently published study discovered initiatives to address major waste crime have been "critically under-prioritised" despite the issue developing into bigger and more advanced.

A parliamentary committee proposed an separate "comprehensive" inquiry into how "widespread" environmental offenses is tackled.