🔗 Share this article

Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in relation with the huge pile of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior revelation which exposed the operation of over 500 illegal dumps across England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory body commented that the detentions were for environment-related and financial crimes and were a "crucial step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to hold approximately 21,000 tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is composed of what looks to be treated household rubbish, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, tires and assorted domestic articles.

It represents just a single of 517 unlawful sites in England, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger locations is probably to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously indicated it does not possess data on weight for all unlawful site.

The majority such locations are in agricultural areas, frequently concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Organised Activity

Authorities say numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by charging significantly less than licensed operators to take and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the volume and type of material they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Initial efforts to clean up the Kidlington area dump started earlier this month amid fears over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted clean-up contractor has been given the job to deal with the area over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's regulatory unit commented that the body would be seeking to recover the clean-up costs under asset recovery legislation from any party prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She further stated that these detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "follow more avenues to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated attack on our ecology and the authorities understand the community's outrage at this egregious offence," she said.

A government minister supported the detentions, stating: "This illegal tipping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has caused significant detriment to the ecology and upset to the local residents.

"Our government is committed to eradicating this kind of crime throughout the country, by augmenting resources to combat environmental crime, hiring more personnel and enacting stricter controls and fines for those who flout the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a specialist crime team and follow an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in November. He was let go pending additional investigations.