🔗 Share this article

A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive pile of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests follow a recent revelation which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 illegal sites in the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environment agency stated that the detentions were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been released on conditional release.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of waste is made up of what appears to be processed household waste, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and other everyday objects.

It is just one example of 517 unlawful tips throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual figure of such major dumps is probably to be larger, as the environmental authority has in the past acknowledged it does not hold records on weight for all unlawful site.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside areas, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Organized Operations

Law enforcement say a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by charging significantly less than lawful operators to take and landfill waste.

Firms have to pay site fees to use licensed waste facilities, based on the quantity and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Initial efforts to clean up the affected location commenced in recent weeks amid worries over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted waste removal firm has been given the job to handle the site over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the country's environment division stated that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance costs under asset recovery laws from any individual prosecuted at the conclusion of its active inquiry.

She added that the recent arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more leads to understand exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"The illegal dump at the site was an shocking and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and we understand the community's outrage at this terrible act," she said.

A cabinet minister welcomed the detentions, adding: "This illegal tipping of rubbish at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in considerable harm to the natural world and anguish to the local population.

"Our authorities is committed to stamping out this category of criminality across the country, by increasing funds to address environmental crime, hiring more staff and introducing stricter controls and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by agents from a dedicated organised crime squad and are in addition to an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in November. He was released awaiting additional inquiries.