🔗 Share this article

Two individuals have been taken into custody as part of an investigation into the illegal deposit of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in association with the huge pile of rubbish tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a previous report which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps across England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environment body stated that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "key step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to house around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is composed of what appears to be processed domestic refuse, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and other domestic articles.

It is just a single of 517 illegal dumps throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such major sites is probably to be higher, as the environment agency has in the past indicated it does not possess information on volume for every unauthorized dump.

Most such locations are in rural areas, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural property.

Organized Operations

Police report many are operated by organized crime groups, who are making profit by charging far less than legitimate companies to accept and landfill waste.

Firms have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the volume and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Frustration

Preparatory operations to remove the affected location commenced in recent weeks due to worries over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A private waste clearance firm has been granted the task to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's environment division stated that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clearance costs under asset recovery acts from any individual prosecuted at the end of its active investigation.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"This illegal site at this location was an shocking and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the local frustration at this egregious act," she stated.

A cabinet official praised the arrests, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of garbage at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable detriment to the ecology and upset to the local population.

"The administration is pledged to eradicating this type of criminality across the UK, by augmenting funds to tackle illegal dumping, employing more officers and implementing more severe checks and fines for those who flout the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a specialist organised crime team and are in addition to an prior arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in November. He was let go awaiting further enquiries.