🔗 Share this article

Two individuals have been arrested as an element of an investigation into the dumping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in association with the huge heap of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a prior investigation which uncovered the existence of more than 500 unauthorized dumps across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environmental authorities stated that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime offences and were a "crucial step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been let go on conditional release.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to contain about 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what seems to be treated domestic rubbish, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, automobile tires and various everyday items.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal tips throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall figure of such major dumps is likely to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously acknowledged it does not possess information on volume for every unauthorized tip.

Most sites are in agricultural locations, often hidden, and on land that is intended to be farm ground.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement state a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by charging much less than legitimate companies to accept and landfill rubbish.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Preparatory operations to clean up the affected site commenced recently amid fears over the threat of blaze and the impact that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been awarded the contract to handle the area over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the government regulatory division said that the authority would be seeking to recover the clearance expenses under confiscation legislation from anyone successfully found guilty at the termination of its current inquiry.

She added that this week's detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was involved".

"The unlawful tip at this location was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our natural surroundings and officials understand the community's frustration at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A senior minister praised the arrests, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of rubbish at Kidlington is appalling and has caused considerable detriment to the environment and anguish to the local population.

"Our administration is committed to eliminating this kind of crime in the nation, by increasing financing to tackle environmental crime, recruiting more officers and implementing more severe measures and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime squad and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in November. He was released awaiting more investigations.