🔗 Share this article

Two men have been detained as part of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the enormous pile of rubbish deposited near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a prior report which revealed the presence of over 500 unauthorized sites in the country of England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environmental body stated that the arrests were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been let go on conditional release.

Scale of the Issue

The dump in near Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is consists of what looks to be treated household waste, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and other household items.

It represents just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps across England, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tonnes of waste. These include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such larger dumps is likely to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously stated it does not possess data on weight for each illegal dump.

Most sites are in countryside locations, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Organised Enterprise

Police state a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are generating cash by asking for much less than legitimate firms to take and bury waste.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Anger

Preparatory operations to clean up the affected site began in recent weeks amid concerns over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste clearance firm has been given the task to deal with the location over the coming 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's environment team said that the body would be looking to claim back the remediation expenses under confiscation acts from any party convicted at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and allow officials to "pursue more avenues to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful dump at the site was an shocking and intentional affront on our environment and the authorities understand the community's anger at this egregious offence," she said.

A government representative praised the arrests, commenting: "This unauthorized dumping of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has caused considerable detriment to the ecology and distress to the surrounding residents.

"Our administration is dedicated to eliminating this category of illegal activity in the nation, by augmenting financing to tackle environmental crime, employing more staff and implementing more severe controls and fines for those who break the regulations."

The detentions were made on Thursday by officers from a regional serious crime squad and are in addition to an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was released awaiting more enquiries.