🔗 Share this article

Two individuals have been detained as part of an inquiry into the dumping of several thousand of tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in association with the massive mound of garbage tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous investigation which revealed the operation of over 500 unauthorized tips in England, including at least 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities commented that the detentions were for environment-related and money laundering violations and were a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Situation

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

This heap of rubbish is consists of what seems to be processed domestic refuse, fragmented plastics, polystyrene, tires and various household articles.

It is just a single of 517 illegal tips in England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. These include a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total amount of such bigger locations is likely to be greater, as the environment body has previously indicated it does not maintain records on volume for each unauthorized dump.

Most such locations are in rural settings, often hidden, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Criminal Operations

Law enforcement report numerous are run by criminal organizations, who are making money by charging significantly less than licensed operators to take and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Preparation operations to clean up the affected dump began in recent weeks due to worries over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been granted the contract to handle the area over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's environment team commented that the authority would be seeking to claim back the clearance funds under proceeds of crime legislation from any party successfully convicted at the end of its current investigation.

She further stated that these detentions would help "move the probe forward" and allow officials to "follow more lines of inquiry to understand precisely what happened and who was involved".

"This unlawful dump at the site was an appalling and deliberate attack on our ecology and the authorities share the community's anger at this egregious act," she said.

A government official welcomed the arrests, adding: "This unauthorized dumping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in significant detriment to the natural world and distress to the nearby community.

"The government is committed to eliminating this kind of crime in the nation, by augmenting financing to tackle waste crime, hiring more personnel and implementing stricter controls and sanctions for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were carried out on a recent Thursday by officers from a specialist organised crime team and are in addition to an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was released subject to further enquiries.