Arrests Executed in Link to Supersized Unlawful Landfill

Two individuals have been arrested as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the massive heap of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a previous investigation which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency said that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial violations and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to hold about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of waste is composed of what seems to be processed household rubbish, fragmented plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various household articles.

It represents just one of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total figure of such bigger dumps is likely to be greater, as the environmental body has earlier indicated it does not possess information on volume for all unauthorized dump.

The majority sites are in countryside areas, often concealed, and on land that should be arable land.

Criminal Activity

Authorities report numerous are managed by organized crime groups, who are making money by charging much less than licensed companies to accept and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use legitimate waste facilities, based on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Outrage

Initial efforts to remove the affected location started in recent weeks due to concerns over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby major road.

A commercial waste clearance contractor has been granted the contract to remediate the area over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the government environment unit said that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime legislation from any individual successfully found guilty at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She further stated that these arrests would help "move the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "follow more leads to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized dump at the site was an appalling and intentional attack on our environment and officials share the public's frustration at this horrific offence," she said.

A senior official welcomed the arrests, stating: "The unauthorized dumping of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has led to significant damage to the environment and anguish to the nearby residents.

"Our authorities is pledged to eradicating this type of criminality across the nation, by boosting financing to address waste crime, recruiting more staff and introducing stricter controls and sanctions for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by officers from a specialist serious crime team and are in addition to an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was let go subject to further enquiries.