Arrests Executed in Connection to Enormous Unauthorized Landfill

Two individuals have been taken into custody as part of an probe into the tipping of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a property in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in association with the huge pile of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a recent revelation which uncovered the presence of more than 500 unlawful dumps across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities commented that the arrests were for ecological and money laundering offences and represented a "key step" in active inquiries. Both men have been let go on bail.

Size of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house around 21,000 tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of waste is made up of what looks to be processed household rubbish, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and various domestic objects.

It represents just one example of 517 unlawful tips across England, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such bigger sites is probably to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously stated it does not maintain information on volume for all unlawful dump.

The majority such locations are in countryside areas, often hidden, and on land that should be farm ground.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement state numerous are operated by organized crime groups, who are generating cash by demanding significantly less than lawful companies to receive and bury garbage.

Firms have to be liable for site fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Anger

Preparatory work to remove the affected location began recently due to fears over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private clean-up contractor has been given the contract to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environmental crime team commented that the authority would be seeking to claim back the remediation costs under proceeds of crime legislation from any individual found guilty at the termination of its ongoing inquiry.

She further stated that this week's detentions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to determine exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"The unlawful tip at this location was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our environment and the authorities share the public's frustration at this egregious offence," she stated.

A government official supported the arrests, adding: "The unlawful dumping of garbage at this location is appalling and has resulted in significant harm to the ecology and upset to the surrounding community.

"The government is committed to eradicating this kind of criminality across the UK, by augmenting financing to address illegal dumping, employing more staff and enacting more severe measures and penalties for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were made on the specified day by agents from a dedicated crime unit and are in addition to an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was let go pending additional investigations.