🔗 Share this article

Two men have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the huge heap of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a recent investigation which uncovered the presence of more than 500 unlawful sites in the country of England, including at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory body commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial crimes and constituted a "vital step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34, is thought to house about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is made up of what appears to be processed residential rubbish, chopped up plastic items, polystyrene, tires and other household articles.

It represents just one of 517 unlawful tips throughout England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tons of garbage. They include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total amount of such bigger sites is likely to be larger, as the regulatory body has in the past stated it does not hold records on weight for all unlawful site.

Most such locations are in rural settings, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be arable land.

Organized Operations

Police say many are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating profit by charging far less than legitimate operators to take and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to incur disposal fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the quantity and category of material they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Initial work to clear the Kidlington location commenced recently amid concerns over the risk of combustion and the impact that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the contract to deal with the area over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's environment team stated that the agency would be looking to recoup the remediation costs under proceeds of crime legislation from any individual prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and enable officials to "pursue more avenues to ascertain exactly what happened and who was involved".

"The illegal tip at Kidlington was an shocking and calculated attack on our ecology and officials empathize with the community's anger at this egregious act," she stated.

A government official praised the arrests, adding: "This unlawful deposit of rubbish at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has led to considerable harm to the natural world and upset to the local community.

"The authorities is committed to eliminating this kind of illegal activity across the nation, by boosting financing to tackle waste crime, hiring more staff and implementing tougher measures and fines for those who violate the rules."

The detentions were made on Thursday by officers from a regional organised crime team and follow an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free subject to further inquiries.