🔗 Share this article

A pair of individuals have been detained as part of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in association with the huge pile of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior revelation which exposed the existence of over 500 unauthorized tips across the country of England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environment agency said that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "vital step" in active probes. The two individuals have been set free on conditional release.

Size of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of waste is made up of what appears to be treated domestic waste, chopped up plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and various domestic articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unauthorized sites in England, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total figure of such major locations is expected to be larger, as the environmental agency has in the past stated it does not maintain records on weight for every illegal dump.

A large proportion of sites are in rural settings, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Criminal Activity

Authorities state many are managed by organized crime groups, who are making profit by charging much less than lawful firms to accept and landfill waste.

Companies have to pay site fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the quantity and category of refuse they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Preparation operations to clear the Kidlington dump commenced recently amid concerns over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby major road.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been awarded the job to remediate the location over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's environmental crime team said that the authority would be looking to claim back the remediation costs under asset recovery acts from any individual successfully found guilty at the termination of its current investigation.

She noted that this week's detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more leads to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful tip at Kidlington was an appalling and intentional assault on our environment and we share the local anger at this egregious offence," she stated.

A senior representative supported the arrests, adding: "The illegal dumping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has caused considerable detriment to the natural world and upset to the local residents.

"Our government is dedicated to eliminating this kind of illegal activity in the country, by boosting funds to combat illegal dumping, employing more officers and implementing tougher checks and sanctions for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by officers from a specialist organised crime squad and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was released pending additional enquiries.