Apprehensions Made in Connection to Enormous Illegal Rubbish Dump

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

Officials indicated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the huge heap of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a prior revelation which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 illegal sites in England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory agency stated that the arrests were for environment-related and financial offences and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to hold around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what appears to be processed household refuse, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tyres and assorted household objects.

It represents just one example of 517 unlawful sites across England, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total amount of such major sites is probably to be greater, as the regulatory agency has in the past stated it does not maintain records on tonnage for every unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural settings, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Organised Operations

Authorities state a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are generating profit by demanding much less than legitimate operators to accept and landfill rubbish.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, depending on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Outrage

Preparation efforts to clean up the Kidlington area site commenced earlier this month amid concerns over the risk of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste removal firm has been given the job to remediate the location over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the national environmental crime team stated that the authority would be looking to recover the remediation costs under confiscation acts from anyone ultimately found guilty at the conclusion of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that the recent arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The illegal site at this location was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our environment and the authorities understand the public's outrage at this horrific crime," she stated.

A cabinet official welcomed the detentions, adding: "This unlawful dumping of rubbish at the site is appalling and has led to substantial damage to the environment and distress to the surrounding community.

"The government is dedicated to eradicating this category of crime in the nation, by increasing resources to combat environmental crime, employing more officers and enacting more severe checks and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by officers from a regional organised crime squad and are in addition to an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in November. He was released pending additional investigations.