Apprehensions Carried Out in Link to Supersized Unauthorized Rubbish Dump

Two men have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tons of refuse in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in connection with the huge heap of waste dumped near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a prior report which exposed the existence of over 500 unauthorized sites in the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environment authorities said that the detentions were for environment-related and financial violations and constituted a "key step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Scale of the Situation

The dump in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to contain about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what seems to be treated domestic waste, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday items.

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

The actual number of such major sites is probably to be higher, as the environment body has previously acknowledged it does not maintain data on tonnage for each illegal dump.

A large proportion of sites are in countryside areas, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Organized Activity

Law enforcement report a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by asking for much less than lawful operators to accept and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to incur gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, based on the volume and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Initial efforts to clear the affected site commenced earlier this month following worries over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent highway.

A private waste removal company has been awarded the job to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the national environment unit said that the body would be looking to recoup the remediation expenses under asset recovery legislation from any party successfully prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing case.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "investigate more leads to determine in detail what happened and who was involved".

"The illegal dump at this location was an shocking and deliberate affront on our natural surroundings and we share the community's frustration at this egregious offence," she stated.

A cabinet representative praised the detentions, adding: "This unlawful tipping of garbage at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused substantial damage to the natural world and anguish to the local population.

"Our authorities is dedicated to stamping out this type of criminality throughout the country, by boosting financing to address waste crime, hiring more officers and enacting more severe checks and fines for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were executed on the specified day by agents from a dedicated crime unit and come after an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was let go subject to more inquiries.