Arrests Made in Connection to Supersized Unlawful Landfill

Two men have been arrested as a component of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in association with the enormous heap of rubbish deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a prior report which revealed the operation of over 500 unauthorized sites in England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environmental body commented that the arrests were for ecological and money laundering crimes and represented a "vital step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to contain about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is composed of what appears to be processed residential rubbish, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and various household articles.

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

The overall number of such bigger sites is expected to be higher, as the environmental agency has previously indicated it does not hold data on volume for all illegal site.

Most these sites are in rural settings, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Criminal Operations

Authorities report many are run by criminal organizations, who are earning profit by charging far less than lawful firms to accept and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Preparation operations to clean up the affected site commenced in recent weeks due to worries over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been granted the job to deal with the site over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's environment team said that the authority would be aiming to claim back the remediation funds under confiscation laws from any individual ultimately convicted at the end of its ongoing case.

She further stated that the recent arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal site at Kidlington was an shocking and intentional assault on our environment and the authorities understand the community's anger at this horrific act," she said.

A government minister supported the detentions, stating: "The unauthorized deposit of rubbish at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in significant damage to the environment and upset to the surrounding population.

"Our authorities is dedicated to eradicating this kind of criminality in the UK, by boosting financing to tackle environmental crime, employing more personnel and introducing more severe controls and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated organised crime unit and are in addition to an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in November. He was let go subject to additional enquiries.