Apprehensions Executed in Connection to Enormous Illegal Landfill

Two men have been detained as part of an probe into the tipping of many thousands of tons of waste in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in association with the enormous pile of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a prior revelation which revealed the existence of more than 500 unlawful sites throughout the country of England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment authorities said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "crucial step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Size of the Problem

The dump in near Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is consists of what appears to be treated domestic refuse, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, tires and various household items.

It is just one of 517 unlawful tips in the country, at least 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of garbage. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall amount of such major locations is expected to be higher, as the environment body has earlier stated it does not possess information on weight for every illegal site.

Most such locations are in agricultural areas, often concealed, and on land that should be farm ground.

Organized Activity

Authorities say a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making money by charging significantly less than lawful companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the volume and type of refuse they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington area location began earlier this month due to fears over the threat of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted clean-up firm has been granted the job to handle the site over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the country's environment division stated that the authority would be seeking to recover the remediation costs under proceeds of crime laws from any party successfully prosecuted at the termination of its active investigation.

She further stated that this week's detentions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"This illegal dump at this location was an appalling and deliberate affront on our ecology and we empathize with the community's outrage at this egregious offence," she said.

A senior minister supported the detentions, stating: "The illegal deposit of rubbish at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable detriment to the ecology and distress to the nearby population.

"The government is pledged to eliminating this type of criminality across the country, by increasing funds to address environmental crime, employing more personnel and introducing more severe measures and fines for those who break the law."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated serious crime unit and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting more investigations.