A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.
Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive heap of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.
These detentions follow a recent revelation which exposed the presence of more than 500 unlawful tips in the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.
A representative for the environment authorities said that the detentions were for ecological and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "vital step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been let go on pre-trial release.
Scale of the Problem
The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is believed to contain approximately 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.
This pile of rubbish is composed of what appears to be processed household refuse, fragmented plastic materials, Styrofoam, tires and other everyday objects.
It constitutes just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps across England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.
The total number of such larger locations is expected to be larger, as the environment agency has earlier indicated it does not possess data on weight for every illegal site.
The majority these sites are in rural locations, frequently hidden, and on land that should be farm property.
Criminal Enterprise
Authorities say many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by asking for significantly less than licensed firms to receive and landfill rubbish.
Businesses have to incur gate fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the volume and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.
Community Frustration
Preparation work to remove the Kidlington area site started recently amid concerns over the risk of combustion and the consequences that would have on the close-by A-road.
A private waste clearance contractor has been given the contract to remediate the location over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.
An enforcement manager for the national environmental crime unit stated that the agency would be looking to recover the clean-up expenses under confiscation legislation from any party successfully found guilty at the termination of its current case.
She added that the recent detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more leads to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was implicated".
"The illegal tip at the site was an atrocious and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and officials understand the community's outrage at this horrific act," she remarked.
A government minister welcomed the actions, stating: "The unlawful dumping of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused substantial damage to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding residents.
"The government is pledged to eliminating this category of criminality across the country, by augmenting resources to address waste crime, recruiting more staff and enacting more severe controls and sanctions for those who flout the regulations."
The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional organised crime team and come after an prior arrest of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was let go subject to additional enquiries.
