Detentions Made in Relation to Supersized Illegal Rubbish Dump
Two individuals have been taken into custody as part of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.
Authorities indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in relation with the huge heap of waste tipped near the area of Kidlington.
These arrests come after a recent revelation which revealed the operation of more than 500 illegal tips in England, including at least 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tons.
A spokeswoman for the environment authorities commented that the apprehensions were for environmental and money laundering violations and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been set free on conditional release.
Size of the Situation
The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to contain about 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.
This pile of garbage is consists of what appears to be treated household waste, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tyres and other household articles.
It constitutes just one example of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes of garbage. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.
The total amount of such bigger locations is probably to be larger, as the environment body has previously acknowledged it does not maintain data on weight for all illegal tip.
A large proportion of sites are in agricultural areas, frequently concealed, and on land that should be agricultural property.
Criminal Enterprise
Authorities say a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are generating profit by demanding much less than legitimate operators to take and dispose of rubbish.
Companies have to pay site fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the quantity and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.
Community Outrage
Initial work to clear the Kidlington area site began recently amid concerns over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.
A contracted waste removal company has been granted the job to deal with the location over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.
An compliance officer for the country's environment unit said that the body would be seeking to recover the remediation funds under confiscation legislation from any party convicted at the termination of its current investigation.
She noted that these apprehensions would help "move the investigation forward" and permit officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine exactly what happened and who was implicated".
"The illegal site at the site was an appalling and deliberate affront on our environment and officials understand the local outrage at this egregious act," she stated.
A senior representative praised the arrests, stating: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at the site is appalling and has led to significant detriment to the ecology and anguish to the nearby residents.
"Our government is dedicated to stamping out this category of criminality in the UK, by augmenting resources to address environmental crime, employing more staff and implementing more severe checks and fines for those who break the law."
The apprehensions were made on Thursday by officers from a specialist organised crime team and are in addition to an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was released subject to further enquiries.
