🔗 Share this article

A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as part of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of metric tons of waste in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive pile of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a recent report which uncovered the existence of over 500 unlawful sites in England, including at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities stated that the apprehensions were for ecological and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Size of the Situation

The dump in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of garbage is composed of what seems to be treated household rubbish, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, tires and various everyday items.

It constitutes just a single of 517 illegal sites in the country, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of garbage. These feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total number of such bigger sites is expected to be larger, as the environmental authority has previously indicated it does not maintain information on weight for all illegal dump.

A large proportion of such locations are in rural settings, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Organised Activity

Police state a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating cash by asking for much less than licensed companies to accept and landfill waste.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Outrage

Preparatory operations to clear the Kidlington site commenced earlier this month amid concerns over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted waste removal company has been granted the contract to remediate the location over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's regulatory unit stated that the agency would be aiming to recoup the remediation funds under proceeds of crime laws from any party prosecuted at the conclusion of its active inquiry.

She further stated that these detentions would help "push the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to understand precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our ecology and we empathize with the community's anger at this egregious act," she remarked.

A government representative supported the actions, adding: "This unauthorized tipping of waste at this location is appalling and has caused significant harm to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding community.

"The authorities is committed to eradicating this kind of criminality across the nation, by boosting resources to combat illegal dumping, hiring more officers and introducing tougher controls and penalties for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were carried out on the specified day by agents from a specialist serious crime squad and come after an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was set free subject to more investigations.