Apprehensions Executed in Link to Massive Unauthorized Rubbish Dump

Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of tons of refuse in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in relation with the enormous heap of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a recent report which uncovered the existence of more than 500 unauthorized sites in England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environmental body stated that the arrests were for ecological and financial offences and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on conditional release.

Scale of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to contain about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is composed of what seems to be processed household rubbish, chopped up plastic materials, polystyrene, automobile tires and other everyday objects.

It represents just one example of 517 unlawful sites in the country, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual amount of such major sites is probably to be greater, as the environment agency has earlier stated it does not maintain information on weight for each illegal dump.

The majority these sites are in rural areas, often out of sight, and on land that should be arable property.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement state a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are earning money by asking for significantly less than lawful firms to take and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to incur site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Anger

Preparation work to clear the Kidlington location began in recent weeks amid worries over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been granted the job to handle the location over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national environmental crime division stated that the authority would be looking to claim back the clearance costs under confiscation legislation from any individual successfully found guilty at the end of its active inquiry.

She noted that the recent detentions would help "push the probe forward" and enable officials to "pursue more leads to understand exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"This illegal tip at this location was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our environment and we share the public's outrage at this horrific act," she remarked.

A senior minister supported the actions, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in significant damage to the natural world and anguish to the nearby population.

"Our administration is dedicated to eradicating this kind of illegal activity throughout the country, by boosting financing to address environmental crime, hiring more officers and introducing stricter measures and penalties for those who flout the law."

The detentions were carried out on the specified day by officers from a regional organised crime team and follow an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was set free pending further investigations.