🔗 Share this article

Two men have been taken into custody as part of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in connection with the massive heap of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous report which uncovered the presence of more than 500 unauthorized tips across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the regulatory authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing probes. Both men have been let go on conditional release.

Scale of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to house around 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what appears to be sorted domestic rubbish, chopped up plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted domestic items.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unauthorized sites across the country, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The overall figure of such larger locations is expected to be higher, as the environment authority has earlier indicated it does not maintain information on weight for all unlawful site.

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

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement say many are run by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by demanding far less than legitimate operators to receive and dispose of rubbish.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Initial operations to clear the Kidlington location commenced earlier this month following worries over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been awarded the contract to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environment team commented that the agency would be looking to claim back the clearance funds under proceeds of crime acts from any individual ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She added that these detentions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more leads to understand in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and we understand the community's outrage at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A senior official welcomed the detentions, adding: "This unauthorized tipping of waste at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has caused substantial detriment to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding population.

"The administration is pledged to stamping out this kind of illegal activity in the country, by augmenting resources to address waste crime, employing more personnel and enacting tougher controls and penalties for those who flout the law."

The detentions were executed on the specified day by agents from a dedicated organised crime unit and come after an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in last November. He was released awaiting further inquiries.