🔗 Share this article

Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive pile of rubbish tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a previous investigation which revealed the presence of more than 500 unlawful sites throughout England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency stated that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering crimes and were a "crucial step" in active probes. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of waste is composed of what looks to be sorted household refuse, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted household articles.

It represents just one of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall number of such bigger sites is expected to be higher, as the environment agency has earlier stated it does not hold data on tonnage for every unlawful dump.

Most these sites are in countryside locations, frequently concealed, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Organised Enterprise

Police report many are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating money by charging much less than legitimate firms to accept and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to be liable for gate fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory work to clean up the Kidlington dump began earlier this month due to fears over the potential of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted waste removal firm has been awarded the contract to deal with the area over the following 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environment division stated that the body would be looking to claim back the clearance funds under confiscation laws from any party successfully convicted at the conclusion of its active case.

She further stated that this week's arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable authorities to "pursue more leads to determine in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized dump at this location was an shocking and intentional assault on our environment and we empathize with the public's anger at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A senior official praised the detentions, adding: "This illegal tipping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has led to considerable damage to the environment and distress to the local population.

"The authorities is committed to eliminating this category of criminality throughout the country, by boosting resources to combat waste crime, employing more staff and enacting tougher controls and fines for those who break the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by personnel from a regional serious crime squad and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was set free subject to more investigations.