Detentions Made in Relation to Enormous Unlawful Landfill

A pair of individuals have been arrested as part of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tonnes of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the enormous mound of rubbish deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous investigation which exposed the operation of more than 500 unauthorized sites across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment authorities commented that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering violations and were a "vital step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to hold approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of waste is consists of what appears to be sorted household refuse, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tires and other everyday objects.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized tips across England, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual amount of such major dumps is expected to be higher, as the regulatory agency has in the past indicated it does not maintain records on tonnage for each unauthorized site.

Most these sites are in rural locations, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Criminal Operations

Police say numerous are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning profit by charging significantly less than licensed companies to receive and bury waste.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Initial operations to clear the affected site commenced earlier this month due to fears over the potential of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been given the contract to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the government regulatory team stated that the body would be looking to recover the clearance expenses under asset recovery legislation from any individual successfully prosecuted at the conclusion of its current case.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow officials to "follow more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This illegal site at the site was an shocking and calculated affront on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the local outrage at this horrific act," she stated.

A government representative welcomed the actions, commenting: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant damage to the ecology and upset to the local community.

"Our administration is dedicated to stamping out this category of crime across the country, by augmenting financing to combat waste crime, hiring more staff and implementing more severe checks and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The arrests were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a regional organised crime unit and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was set free pending further inquiries.