Arrests Made in Relation to Massive Unauthorized Rubbish Dump

Two individuals have been arrested as a component of an probe into the tipping of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the huge heap of garbage tipped near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a recent investigation which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory body said that the arrests were for ecological and money laundering crimes and were a "vital step" in active investigations. Both men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34, is thought to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what looks to be processed residential refuse, chopped up plastic materials, polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual number of such bigger sites is probably to be greater, as the environmental agency has in the past acknowledged it does not possess records on tonnage for each unlawful site.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside areas, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural property.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement say many are run by criminal organizations, who are making money by asking for far less than licensed operators to take and landfill garbage.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, based on the amount and type of material they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington area location started recently due to fears over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been granted the job to deal with the area over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government environment division stated that the body would be aiming to recover the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime acts from any individual convicted at the conclusion of its current inquiry.

She added that the recent arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what happened and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful tip at this location was an appalling and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and officials understand the public's frustration at this horrific offence," she stated.

A senior minister praised the actions, commenting: "This illegal tipping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has caused considerable detriment to the natural world and distress to the nearby community.

"The administration is committed to eliminating this category of crime in the nation, by increasing funds to tackle waste crime, hiring more personnel and implementing stricter checks and penalties for those who flout the regulations."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a regional organised crime squad and are in addition to an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was set free pending more investigations.