Detentions Executed in Connection to Massive Unauthorized Landfill

Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in association with the huge heap of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions follow a previous report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment authorities commented that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering crimes and constituted a "key step" in continuing inquiries. Both men have been set free on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to contain around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of waste is composed of what appears to be processed household refuse, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, automobile tires and various household objects.

It represents just one of 517 illegal sites across England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such larger sites is likely to be higher, as the regulatory agency has in the past stated it does not hold data on weight for each unauthorized dump.

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

Organized Activity

Law enforcement state a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are generating money by asking for significantly less than legitimate operators to take and bury rubbish.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the amount and type of waste they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Initial work to clean up the affected dump began earlier this month following concerns over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A private clean-up company has been granted the task to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the government environment unit stated that the body would be looking to recover the remediation costs under proceeds of crime laws from any party ultimately prosecuted at the end of its current investigation.

She further stated that these apprehensions would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable officials to "follow more leads to understand precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"This illegal tip at this location was an appalling and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the public's anger at this terrible offence," she said.

A cabinet minister praised the arrests, commenting: "This unauthorized tipping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant damage to the ecology and distress to the surrounding community.

"Our administration is committed to eliminating this category of criminality across the country, by increasing resources to combat environmental crime, hiring more personnel and enacting stricter controls and penalties for those who break the rules."

The detentions were executed on the specified day by agents from a dedicated organised crime team and follow an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was released awaiting additional enquiries.