🔗 Share this article

Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the illegal deposit of thousands of tons of waste in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in association with the massive pile of rubbish deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a prior revelation which exposed the existence of over 500 unlawful tips throughout the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environment authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and money laundering offences and constituted a "key step" in continuing inquiries. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to contain approximately 21,000 tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of waste is consists of what looks to be processed household waste, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and other everyday items.

It represents just one example of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall number of such larger dumps is likely to be higher, as the environment body has earlier indicated it does not maintain data on weight for all unauthorized site.

The majority sites are in agricultural settings, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement state many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by demanding far less than legitimate operators to take and bury rubbish.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington location started recently amid concerns over the threat of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted clean-up company has been given the job to handle the area over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the national environment unit said that the body would be looking to claim back the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime laws from anyone convicted at the termination of its active case.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more avenues to understand exactly what happened and who was involved".

"This unlawful tip at this location was an appalling and deliberate affront on our environment and we empathize with the community's outrage at this horrific offence," she stated.

A senior representative supported the detentions, adding: "This illegal tipping of rubbish at this location is disgraceful and has caused considerable harm to the environment and anguish to the nearby population.

"The government is committed to eliminating this category of crime in the UK, by boosting funds to tackle waste crime, employing more staff and introducing more severe measures and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were carried out on the specified day by officers from a regional serious crime squad and come after an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in last November. He was set free subject to more investigations.