🔗 Share this article

Two individuals have been detained as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of thousands of tonnes of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the huge mound of rubbish dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a recent revelation which revealed the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips in the country of England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment authorities said that the apprehensions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "key step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Issue

The illegal site in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to hold about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of garbage is made up of what appears to be treated residential refuse, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, automobile tires and various everyday items.

It represents just a single of 517 unauthorized tips across England, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual number of such bigger locations is probably to be greater, as the environment authority has previously indicated it does not possess records on weight for every unlawful site.

A large proportion of sites are in countryside locations, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Criminal Activity

Police report a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are making profit by charging far less than licensed operators to accept and bury waste.

Businesses have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the amount and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory operations to clear the Kidlington location began earlier this month following fears over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted clean-up company has been given the contract to deal with the location over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national environment unit stated that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime acts from anyone convicted at the termination of its current inquiry.

She noted that this week's arrests would help "move the probe forward" and permit officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unlawful dump at the site was an appalling and intentional assault on our environment and officials understand the public's outrage at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A senior minister supported the arrests, adding: "This illegal dumping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has resulted in significant detriment to the natural world and upset to the nearby population.

"The administration is dedicated to eliminating this type of crime throughout the UK, by augmenting resources to address waste crime, employing more staff and implementing more severe checks and sanctions for those who break the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by officers from a regional serious crime unit and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was let go subject to additional enquiries.