🔗 Share this article

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

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in association with the huge mound of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a recent investigation which revealed the presence of more than 500 unauthorized dumps across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities stated that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering crimes and were a "key step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to contain around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of waste is composed of what seems to be sorted domestic refuse, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, automobile tires and assorted everyday items.

It is just one example of 517 illegal tips across England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold 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 tip in the county of Kent.

The overall figure of such larger locations is likely to be higher, as the regulatory body has in the past stated it does not maintain records on volume for all illegal dump.

The majority sites are in countryside settings, often hidden, and on land that should be arable property.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement report a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by asking for far less than licensed companies to receive and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to incur site fees to use lawful landfill sites, contingent on the amount and nature of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Initial operations to clear the Kidlington site began earlier this month amid worries over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial waste clearance company has been granted the contract to handle the area over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the government regulatory unit stated that the body would be seeking to recover the clearance expenses under asset recovery acts from any party ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its active investigation.

She added that these arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "investigate more avenues to understand exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"The unlawful tip at this location was an shocking and deliberate attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the community's anger at this horrific act," she remarked.

A senior official welcomed the actions, adding: "The illegal deposit of waste at this location is appalling and has caused considerable harm to the environment and distress to the surrounding population.

"Our administration is dedicated to eradicating this kind of criminality across the UK, by increasing resources to tackle environmental crime, employing more personnel and implementing tougher controls and fines for those who flout the rules."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by agents from a regional crime team and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was set free awaiting additional investigations.