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Illegal dumpers have deposited a huge quantity of rubbish in a rural area in Oxfordshire.

The "ecological disaster occurring in plain sight" is approximately 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

The enormous heap has appeared in a open area adjacent to the River Cherwell in the vicinity of Kidlington.

Parliament representative raised the problem in parliament, saying it was "posing risk of an environmental disaster".

An environmental charity said the illegal rubbish dump was created around a recently by an organised crime group.

"This represents an environmental crisis developing in public view.

"Daily that passes raises the threat of toxic drainage entering the waterways, contaminating fauna and threatening the condition of the whole river basin.

"The Environment Agency must take action immediately, not in the distant future, which is their usual response period."

Legal prohibition had been implemented by the regulatory body.

It is hard to identify any particular pieces of waste as it appears to have been shredded with dirt combined.

Part of the waste from the top of the heap has toppled and is now only five meters from the stream.

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

The representative asked the government for help to remove the illegal tip before it triggered a blaze or was swept into the river system.

Addressing MPs on this week, he declared: "Criminals have dumped a huge quantity of unlawful synthetic materials... weighing many tons, in my district on a floodplain adjacent to the River Cherwell.

"Water heights are increasing and heatmaps indicate that the waste is also heating up, raising the threat of blaze.

"Regulatory body said it has restricted funding for regulation, that the anticipated cost of removal is larger than the whole annual budget of the municipal authority."

Cabinet member said the administration had inherited a failing waste industry that had caused an "epidemic of unauthorized dumping".

She informed parliament members the organization had served a prohibition notice to prevent more entry to the site.

In a announcement, the authority said it was investigating the situation and asked for details.

It stated: "We share the citizens' concern about situations like this, which is why we respond against those culpable for waste crime."

A recent study discovered attempts to combat serious illegal dumping have been "severely overlooked" despite the situation developing into bigger and more sophisticated.

A parliamentary committee suggested an autonomous "root and branch" investigation into how "prevalent" environmental offenses is tackled.