🔗 Share this article Arrests Made in Relation to Enormous Illegal Landfill Authorities believed that about 21,000 tonnes of waste were illegally deposited at the Oxfordshire location. Two individuals have been taken into custody as part of an probe into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire. Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in relation with the massive mound of rubbish deposited near the area of Kidlington. These arrests come after a recent revelation which exposed the existence of more than 500 unauthorized dumps in the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes. A representative for the environment agency said that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial offences and represented a "key step" in active inquiries. Both men have been released on conditional release. The men were apprehended in association with proceeds of crime and ecological crimes. Magnitude of the Situation The illegal site in the Kidlington area, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height. This pile of garbage is made up of what looks to be treated household rubbish, shredded plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and other household objects. It is just one of 517 unlawful sites across England, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent. The overall amount of such major dumps is likely to be higher, as the regulatory authority has previously indicated it does not maintain records on tonnage for all unauthorized dump. The majority sites are in rural settings, typically hidden, and on land that is intended to be farm property. Criminal Activity Police report many are managed by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding far less than licensed companies to accept and landfill rubbish. Firms have to pay site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne. Public Frustration Initial operations to clean up the Kidlington area location began recently due to concerns over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road. A commercial waste clearance firm has been granted the job to remediate the location over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m. An investigations manager for the national regulatory unit said that the authority would be seeking to claim back the remediation funds under asset recovery acts from anyone ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its ongoing case. She added that this week's arrests would help "push the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "follow more leads to determine in detail what occurred and who was implicated". "The illegal tip at Kidlington was an shocking and intentional attack on our ecology and officials share the local outrage at this terrible offence," she said. A senior official supported the arrests, stating: "This unlawful deposit of garbage at this location is appalling and has led to considerable damage to the natural world and distress to the local population. "Our administration is pledged to stamping out this type of criminality in the UK, by boosting financing to address waste crime, hiring more staff and implementing tougher measures and fines for those who violate the rules." The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by agents from a specialist crime team and are in addition to an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in November. He was released awaiting more investigations.