Apprehensions Made in Connection to Supersized Unlawful Waste Site

Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of several thousand of metric tons of waste in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous pile of rubbish tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior report which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 illegal sites throughout the country of England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environment agency said that the arrests were for ecological and financial crimes and were a "vital step" in continuing investigations. Both men have been released on bail.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is thought to house about 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what appears to be treated household waste, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday items.

It represents just one of 517 illegal sites in England, at least 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual figure of such major dumps is likely to be greater, as the environment body has earlier indicated it does not hold information on tonnage for each unauthorized dump.

The majority sites are in agricultural locations, frequently hidden, and on land that should be farm property.

Criminal Operations

Law enforcement state many are managed by organized crime groups, who are generating cash by demanding much less than licensed companies to receive and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Initial operations to clean up the Kidlington location began earlier this month due to worries over the risk of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted clean-up company has been awarded the contract to deal with the location over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's regulatory unit commented that the authority would be looking to recover the clearance funds under proceeds of crime acts from any individual ultimately found guilty at the end of its ongoing case.

She noted that these detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "follow more leads to determine precisely what happened and who was involved".

"The unlawful tip at Kidlington was an shocking and intentional assault on our environment and we share the community's frustration at this terrible crime," she said.

A senior representative supported the arrests, commenting: "This unauthorized dumping of waste at the site is appalling and has caused considerable harm to the ecology and upset to the local community.

"The government is pledged to eradicating this category of criminality throughout the UK, by boosting funds to combat illegal dumping, hiring more staff and enacting tougher measures and penalties for those who flout the regulations."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime unit and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in last November. He was released pending additional inquiries.