Detentions Made in Relation to Enormous Unauthorized Rubbish Dump

Two men have been detained as part of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive heap of rubbish tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous investigation which uncovered the existence of more than 500 illegal tips across England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body stated that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing investigations. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Scale of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to hold around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is made up of what seems to be sorted residential waste, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and various household items.

It is just one example of 517 unauthorized sites across England, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such bigger locations is expected to be greater, as the regulatory agency has in the past indicated it does not hold data on weight for every unlawful site.

A large proportion of sites are in rural areas, often hidden, and on land that should be farm land.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities say a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding much less than licensed firms to accept and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, contingent on the amount and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Preparatory work to clean up the affected dump started earlier this month following concerns over the risk of fire and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial waste removal firm has been given the job to deal with the area over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the national environment team stated that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up expenses under confiscation acts from any party successfully found guilty at the end of its current case.

She noted that the recent detentions would help "push the probe forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more leads to determine exactly what transpired and who was implicated".

"This unlawful tip at this location was an atrocious and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and we empathize with the local anger at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A government minister praised the detentions, commenting: "The unauthorized deposit of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the ecology and upset to the surrounding residents.

"Our authorities is committed to eradicating this kind of illegal activity in the country, by augmenting resources to tackle illegal dumping, employing more staff and implementing stricter measures and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by officers from a specialist crime unit and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was released pending additional enquiries.