🔗 Share this article

A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as part of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous mound of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a recent investigation which exposed the presence of over 500 unlawful dumps in England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment authorities commented that the arrests were for ecological and financial offences and were a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to house about 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is consists of what looks to be treated residential waste, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, automobile tires and various household articles.

It is just one of 517 unauthorized sites throughout England, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total amount of such larger locations is likely to be greater, as the regulatory body has earlier stated it does not maintain data on weight for every illegal dump.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities state a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are generating profit by demanding much less than licensed firms to accept and landfill waste.

Companies have to pay site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the volume and type of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Anger

Initial operations to clear the affected dump began in recent weeks amid fears over the risk of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A private clean-up firm has been given the contract to handle the area over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environmental crime division commented that the authority would be aiming to recover the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime laws from anyone prosecuted at the termination of its active investigation.

She noted that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more leads to determine exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate assault on our ecology and we share the local frustration at this horrific crime," she said.

A senior representative praised the arrests, commenting: "This unlawful deposit of waste at the site is disgraceful and has caused significant detriment to the ecology and anguish to the local community.

"The authorities is dedicated to eradicating this kind of crime in the country, by augmenting resources to combat environmental crime, recruiting more staff and enacting more severe checks and fines for those who violate the law."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a specialist crime unit and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in November. He was set free pending further enquiries.