Arrests Executed in Connection to Supersized Illegal Waste Site

Two individuals have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in relation with the enormous pile of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous report which uncovered the operation of more than 500 illegal sites in the country of England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the regulatory body commented that the detentions were for environmental and money laundering violations and represented a "vital step" in active probes. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of rubbish is composed of what appears to be treated domestic waste, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and other domestic articles.

It is just one example of 517 illegal tips throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall number of such bigger dumps is likely to be greater, as the environment body has earlier acknowledged it does not possess information on volume for all unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside areas, often out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Organized Activity

Law enforcement say many are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning profit by demanding much less than licensed operators to take and landfill rubbish.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, based on the volume and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Anger

Initial work to clear the Kidlington area dump commenced recently following worries over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial clean-up company has been granted the job to deal with the site over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the national environment division stated that the body would be looking to recover the remediation funds under confiscation legislation from anyone found guilty at the end of its ongoing case.

She noted that this week's arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what happened and who was involved".

"The unlawful tip at this location was an atrocious and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the local frustration at this terrible act," she remarked.

A senior minister welcomed the detentions, stating: "The unauthorized dumping of rubbish at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has led to considerable harm to the environment and anguish to the local community.

"Our authorities is committed to stamping out this category of illegal activity in the country, by increasing funds to address waste crime, employing more personnel and enacting more severe measures and penalties for those who flout the law."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by officers from a specialist serious crime team and come after an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released subject to more inquiries.