🔗 Share this article

A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous pile of rubbish tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a prior revelation which exposed the operation of over 500 illegal tips across the country of England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and money laundering crimes and represented a "key step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to house around 21,000 tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is consists of what looks to be processed household refuse, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted household objects.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unlawful sites throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall number of such larger sites is expected to be higher, as the regulatory authority has in the past indicated it does not possess information on tonnage for every unlawful tip.

The majority sites are in countryside settings, often concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Criminal Activity

Authorities report a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are making profit by asking for significantly less than lawful companies to accept and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use licensed waste facilities, based on the quantity and type of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Outrage

Preparation work to clean up the affected dump began recently following concerns over the risk of fire and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A contracted clean-up contractor has been awarded the contract to remediate the site over the following 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the government regulatory division stated that the authority would be looking to recover the clean-up funds under asset recovery laws from anyone ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its active inquiry.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and allow authorities to "follow more leads to determine in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful site at the site was an appalling and intentional attack on our environment and the authorities empathize with the local outrage at this horrific offence," she said.

A senior minister praised the arrests, stating: "This illegal deposit of garbage at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in significant damage to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding community.

"The government is dedicated to stamping out this kind of criminality in the UK, by boosting funds to address illegal dumping, hiring more staff and enacting tougher controls and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The arrests were executed on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated organised crime squad and follow an prior detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was let go awaiting additional enquiries.