Arrests Carried Out in Link to Supersized Unlawful Waste Site

A pair of individuals have been arrested as a component of an inquiry into the tipping of thousands of tons of waste in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive heap of waste dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a recent revelation which revealed the operation of in excess of 500 unlawful tips in the country of England, including at least 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environment body stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and money laundering offences and represented a "vital step" in active investigations. Both men have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is made up of what seems to be processed domestic waste, fragmented plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and various household objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger locations is likely to be greater, as the environmental body has in the past indicated it does not hold information on volume for every unlawful site.

A large proportion of such locations are in agricultural settings, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as agricultural property.

Criminal Operations

Police state many are managed by organised crime gangs, who are generating money by demanding significantly less than licensed operators to accept and landfill rubbish.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use licensed waste facilities, based on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Anger

Preparatory operations to clean up the affected location began recently due to concerns over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been awarded the job to handle the location over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national environmental crime team stated that the body would be looking to recoup the remediation funds under confiscation laws from any individual convicted at the end of its current inquiry.

She further stated that the recent detentions would help "drive the probe forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more avenues to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal tip at the site was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and we share the public's anger at this horrific offence," she said.

A government official supported the detentions, adding: "This unlawful dumping of rubbish at Kidlington is appalling and has caused considerable harm to the ecology and distress to the nearby residents.

"Our authorities is pledged to eradicating this kind of criminality across the country, by increasing resources to tackle illegal dumping, employing more staff and implementing tougher controls and penalties for those who flout the regulations."

The detentions were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a specialist crime team and are in addition to an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in November. He was set free pending more enquiries.