Arrests Made in Link to Massive Unlawful Waste Site

Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in association with the huge heap of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a recent investigation which revealed the presence of more than 500 unauthorized tips in England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities said that the arrests were for environmental and financial crimes and were a "key step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

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

This mound of waste is made up of what looks to be sorted domestic waste, chopped up plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted everyday articles.

It is just one of 517 unauthorized sites in the country, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such larger locations is likely to be greater, as the environmental agency has earlier acknowledged it does not possess data on tonnage for each unlawful site.

The majority such locations are in countryside areas, typically out of sight, and on land that should be farm property.

Organized Enterprise

Police report many are run by organized crime groups, who are earning money by demanding far less than licensed companies to take and landfill garbage.

Companies have to pay site fees to use lawful waste facilities, based on the volume and type of waste they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Anger

Preparation operations to remove the affected site started earlier this month amid concerns over the potential of combustion and the impact that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted clean-up firm has been given the job to remediate the location over the coming 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's regulatory unit said that the authority would be seeking to claim back the clean-up expenses under confiscation laws from anyone convicted at the termination of its ongoing case.

She noted that these arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful tip at the site was an appalling and calculated assault on our environment and the authorities empathize with the local outrage at this terrible offence," she stated.

A senior minister welcomed the arrests, commenting: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused significant harm to the environment and upset to the local community.

"Our government is pledged to eradicating this type of crime across the country, by boosting resources to tackle waste crime, employing more staff and implementing stricter controls and sanctions for those who break the rules."

The arrests were made on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional crime unit and follow an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was set free awaiting additional enquiries.