🔗 Share this article

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

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in association with the enormous pile of waste dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a previous revelation which revealed the existence of more than 500 illegal dumps across England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment body commented that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial offences and constituted a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to house approximately 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is made up of what appears to be sorted domestic waste, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and various domestic objects.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The total number of such larger dumps is probably to be higher, as the environment body has earlier stated it does not maintain data on volume for each illegal site.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside settings, typically concealed, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement report numerous are run by criminal organizations, who are making profit by demanding much less than licensed companies to receive and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to incur disposal fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the volume and type of refuse they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Outrage

Preparation efforts to remove the Kidlington location started recently following fears over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial clean-up firm has been granted the job to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environmental crime division said that the body would be aiming to claim back the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime laws from any individual successfully prosecuted at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "move the probe forward" and permit the agency to "follow more leads to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"The illegal site at Kidlington was an shocking and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and we understand the community's frustration at this horrific act," she stated.

A senior official praised the detentions, adding: "The unlawful tipping of garbage at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused significant detriment to the natural world and upset to the surrounding residents.

"Our administration is pledged to eradicating this type of illegal activity across the country, by boosting financing to address illegal dumping, employing more officers and enacting tougher controls and fines for those who violate the law."

The arrests were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a dedicated crime unit and come after an previous arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in November. He was let go pending more enquiries.