Arrests Made in Link to Enormous Unauthorized Rubbish Dump

Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the massive mound of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a prior report which uncovered the presence of over 500 unlawful sites across the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory agency commented that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering offences and represented a "vital step" in continuing investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to contain around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what seems to be treated domestic waste, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and various household items.

It is just a single of 517 illegal sites throughout England, at least 11 of which hold over 20,000 tonnes of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total number of such major locations is likely to be greater, as the environmental agency has earlier acknowledged it does not possess information on weight for every illegal dump.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural settings, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Organised Activity

Police say many are managed by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by asking for far less than legitimate operators to accept and landfill garbage.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington site commenced in recent weeks due to fears over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.

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

An enforcement official for the national environmental crime division stated that the authority would be seeking to recover the remediation costs under asset recovery acts from anyone ultimately found guilty at the end of its active investigation.

She added that the recent detentions would help "push the probe forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more leads to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unlawful tip at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and we understand the community's anger at this egregious act," she stated.

A senior representative welcomed the detentions, adding: "This unlawful tipping of garbage at this location is appalling and has caused considerable damage to the environment and anguish to the nearby community.

"Our authorities is committed to eradicating this type of criminality in the country, by increasing funds to combat illegal dumping, employing more officers and implementing more severe measures and penalties for those who flout the law."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by personnel from a regional organised crime team and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was set free pending more investigations.