Apprehensions Executed in Relation to Enormous Illegal Rubbish Dump

Two men have been detained as part of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tons of refuse in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous mound of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions follow a prior report which exposed the operation of more than 500 unlawful tips across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory agency said that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering offences and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is thought to hold about 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what seems to be sorted household waste, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday articles.

It is just a single of 517 illegal dumps throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such major sites is expected to be greater, as the environment authority has in the past indicated it does not hold information on tonnage for each unauthorized tip.

The majority these sites are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that should be arable land.

Organized Operations

Police state a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by charging significantly less than licensed firms to accept and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the volume and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Preparation efforts to remove the affected location began recently following fears over the risk of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been granted the task to remediate the site over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the government environment division stated that the body would be aiming to recoup the clearance funds under proceeds of crime laws from any party convicted at the end of its ongoing case.

She added that these arrests would help "move the investigation forward" and allow authorities to "follow more avenues to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at the site was an appalling and calculated attack on our ecology and the authorities understand the public's anger at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the arrests, commenting: "The unauthorized deposit of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable damage to the natural world and distress to the local population.

"The administration is dedicated to stamping out this type of illegal activity throughout the country, by increasing funds to combat environmental crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing stricter checks and fines for those who flout the regulations."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by officers from a dedicated serious crime squad and come after an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was set free awaiting further enquiries.