Arrests Carried Out in Relation to Enormous Unlawful Rubbish Dump

Two men have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in association with the massive mound of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a prior revelation which exposed the existence of more than 500 illegal dumps throughout England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environmental authorities commented that the arrests were for ecological and money laundering violations and were a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is made up of what appears to be treated domestic waste, fragmented plastics, polystyrene, tyres and various everyday items.

It is just one of 517 unlawful dumps throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall amount of such major sites is likely to be larger, as the environment authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold records on weight for every unlawful site.

A large proportion of these sites are in countryside locations, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm property.

Organised Activity

Authorities state a significant number are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating profit by demanding far less than legitimate operators to receive and landfill waste.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use legitimate disposal sites, depending on the quantity and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Preparatory operations to clear the Kidlington area site started recently amid worries over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted waste removal company has been given the task to handle the site over the next 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's environmental crime unit said that the body would be aiming to claim back the clearance funds under asset recovery acts from anyone successfully convicted at the end of its current investigation.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more leads to determine in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"This unauthorized tip at the site was an shocking and calculated attack on our environment and the authorities understand the community's outrage at this egregious offence," she said.

A cabinet official supported the detentions, adding: "This illegal tipping of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in substantial harm to the environment and upset to the surrounding community.

"Our government is pledged to eradicating this category of criminality across the nation, by augmenting financing to tackle waste crime, recruiting more officers and implementing stricter controls and fines for those who violate the law."

The arrests were made on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional organised crime unit and follow an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was released awaiting further investigations.