🔗 Share this article

Two men have been arrested as part of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous heap of rubbish tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a prior revelation which exposed the existence of more than 500 unlawful dumps throughout England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment authorities stated that the arrests were for ecological and financial violations and were a "key step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to house about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is made up of what looks to be sorted household rubbish, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted everyday objects.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal tips in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total number of such major locations is likely to be greater, as the regulatory agency has earlier indicated it does not maintain data on weight for each illegal dump.

Most such locations are in countryside settings, frequently concealed, and on land that should be arable land.

Organized Enterprise

Police say many are run by organized crime groups, who are earning money by asking for far less than lawful firms to accept and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to be liable for disposal fees to use lawful landfill sites, based on the amount and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Frustration

Preparatory efforts to clean up the Kidlington site began in recent weeks due to worries over the risk of fire and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been given the job to remediate the site over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the government environmental crime unit said that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime acts from anyone successfully found guilty at the termination of its active inquiry.

She further stated that the recent arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable officials to "follow more avenues to understand precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal tip at Kidlington was an shocking and intentional affront on our environment and the authorities share the community's frustration at this horrific offence," she said.

A government minister welcomed the arrests, stating: "This illegal dumping of waste at this location is appalling and has led to significant detriment to the ecology and distress to the local population.

"The government is committed to eradicating this category of illegal activity across the UK, by boosting financing to address waste crime, hiring more officers and introducing stricter measures and fines for those who break the rules."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by officers from a specialist organised crime team and are in addition to an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was let go subject to further enquiries.