🔗 Share this article

Two men have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in relation with the huge pile of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a prior report which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 illegal dumps across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency commented that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The tipping ground in Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to hold around 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what seems to be processed residential rubbish, shredded plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and various everyday items.

It represents just one of 517 unlawful sites in England, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such bigger locations is likely to be larger, as the environment authority has in the past stated it does not maintain records on volume for each unauthorized dump.

Most sites are in rural areas, typically hidden, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Organized Activity

Law enforcement state numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating money by charging significantly less than licensed firms to take and bury waste.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the volume and type of waste they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Frustration

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington dump started earlier this month amid worries over the potential of combustion and the impact that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial clean-up company has been granted the contract to deal with the area over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's environmental crime team said that the authority would be seeking to claim back the clean-up costs under confiscation laws from any party successfully prosecuted at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "move the probe forward" and allow the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what transpired and who was implicated".

"This illegal tip at the site was an appalling and intentional assault on our ecology and officials empathize with the public's frustration at this terrible offence," she said.

A government official supported the arrests, stating: "The illegal dumping of rubbish at this location is disgraceful and has caused considerable harm to the natural world and upset to the local population.

"Our administration is committed to eliminating this type of illegal activity throughout the UK, by boosting funds to address environmental crime, recruiting more officers and enacting stricter measures and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional serious crime team and follow an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in November. He was let go subject to more investigations.