🔗 Share this article Arrests Made in Link to Enormous Illegal Rubbish Dump Authorities believed that about 21,000 tons of rubbish were wrongfully dumped at the Oxfordshire county site. Two individuals have been arrested as part of an probe into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tonnes of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England. Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the massive mound of waste dumped near Kidlington. These apprehensions follow a prior revelation which uncovered the presence of more than 500 unlawful sites across England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons. A spokeswoman for the environment body commented that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering violations and were a "key step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on bail. The men were apprehended in connection with financial and environment-related violations. Magnitude of the Problem The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is thought to hold around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high. This mound of waste is consists of what looks to be treated residential waste, chopped up plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted everyday items. It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized sites in England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 metric tons of waste. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent. The actual amount of such bigger locations is expected to be higher, as the environment body has previously stated it does not possess information on weight for all unauthorized tip. Most such locations are in countryside settings, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property. Organised Operations Police state a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by demanding far less than legitimate firms to receive and dispose of rubbish. Businesses have to incur disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, depending on the quantity and type of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne. Public Anger Preparatory operations to clean up the Kidlington area location started in recent weeks following fears over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road. A commercial waste clearance company has been given the contract to handle the location over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m. An compliance manager for the national regulatory division commented that the agency would be seeking to claim back the remediation expenses under asset recovery acts from any party prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing inquiry. She further stated that these detentions would help "move the probe forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain in detail what happened and who was implicated". "The illegal site at the site was an atrocious and intentional affront on our environment and we empathize with the community's outrage at this horrific act," she remarked. A government representative welcomed the detentions, stating: "This unlawful dumping of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused considerable detriment to the environment and upset to the surrounding population. "Our government is committed to eliminating this type of criminality in the nation, by boosting resources to tackle illegal dumping, hiring more officers and enacting stricter controls and sanctions for those who flout the regulations." The detentions were made on Thursday by officers from a dedicated crime team and come after an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in last November. He was released subject to further inquiries.