Detentions Made in Relation to Supersized Unauthorized Rubbish Dump

A pair of individuals have been detained as part of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials reported 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 enormous mound of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a prior report which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips across England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment agency stated that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering crimes and were a "key step" in ongoing investigations. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to hold about 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what appears to be processed household waste, chopped up plastic items, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted domestic items.

It is just one example of 517 unlawful sites throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual number of such larger locations is probably to be larger, as the regulatory authority has earlier acknowledged it does not hold data on tonnage for every illegal tip.

The majority such locations are in agricultural areas, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Organised Enterprise

Police say numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are making cash by asking for far less than legitimate firms to accept and bury waste.

Firms have to be liable for site fees to use lawful landfill sites, based on the volume and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Initial work to clean up the Kidlington area location started recently following concerns over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby major road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been given the task to handle the location over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national environmental crime division said that the body would be looking to recoup the clean-up funds under confiscation laws from anyone convicted at the end of its current inquiry.

She noted that these detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and enable officials to "investigate more leads to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized tip at this location was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and we understand the public's anger at this egregious offence," she stated.

A senior minister supported the actions, adding: "This unauthorized dumping of waste at this location is appalling and has resulted in significant damage to the environment and anguish to the local population.

"The administration is pledged to stamping out this kind of crime across the country, by increasing financing to combat environmental crime, hiring more staff and introducing more severe measures and penalties for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by officers from a regional crime squad and follow an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in November. He was released subject to additional inquiries.