Detentions Carried Out in Link to Enormous Illegal Rubbish Dump

Two men have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous pile of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a previous investigation which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory body stated that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "key step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to hold about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is consists of what looks to be treated domestic rubbish, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tires and other everyday objects.

It represents just one example of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall figure of such larger locations is expected to be greater, as the environmental authority has earlier stated it does not possess information on tonnage for each unauthorized tip.

The majority such locations are in agricultural areas, often out of sight, and on land that should be farm ground.

Organised Activity

Authorities say many are managed by organized crime groups, who are earning profit by charging significantly less than lawful firms to take and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the quantity and type of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington location began recently following worries over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby major road.

A commercial clean-up firm has been awarded the task to remediate the site over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's regulatory team commented that the agency would be aiming to recoup the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime laws from any party convicted at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She further stated that these arrests would help "move the probe forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to understand in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful dump at the site was an atrocious and intentional assault on our natural surroundings and officials understand the community's frustration at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A senior official supported the detentions, commenting: "The unauthorized tipping of rubbish at this location is disgraceful and has resulted in substantial harm to the natural world and upset to the nearby population.

"Our authorities is committed to eradicating this category of criminality across the nation, by increasing funds to combat waste crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing tougher controls and fines for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by agents from a specialist organised crime squad and are in addition to an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in last November. He was released awaiting additional enquiries.