Arrests Carried Out in Link to Supersized Illegal Landfill

Two individuals have been arrested as a component of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of refuse in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the huge pile of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a recent report which revealed the existence of more than 500 illegal sites across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory agency stated that the detentions were for ecological and proceeds of crime offences and represented a "vital step" in continuing probes. The apprehended men have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to contain approximately 21,000 tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is made up of what looks to be sorted domestic waste, chopped up plastics, polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday objects.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unlawful tips in the country, at least 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of waste. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall number of such major sites is probably to be higher, as the environment agency has earlier stated it does not maintain data on weight for each unauthorized dump.

Most these sites are in countryside settings, frequently concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Organized Operations

Authorities state many are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by charging significantly less than licensed firms to accept and bury waste.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, depending on the amount and type of material they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Preparation operations to clear the Kidlington area location began recently due to concerns over the potential of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.

A private waste removal contractor has been awarded the contract to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the government regulatory unit stated that the agency would be seeking to recoup the clean-up funds under confiscation legislation from anyone ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its current investigation.

She added that these detentions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "follow more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This illegal dump at the site was an atrocious and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and officials understand the local frustration at this terrible act," she said.

A government representative praised the arrests, adding: "The unlawful dumping of garbage at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in substantial damage to the ecology and anguish to the local community.

"Our authorities is committed to eradicating this type of criminality across the UK, by boosting financing to combat environmental crime, recruiting more officers and enacting more severe controls and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional crime unit and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was let go awaiting additional inquiries.