Two men arrested in connection with massive illegal dump

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Two men arrested in connection with ongoing investigation investigation large scale, illegal Rubbish dumped in Oxfordshire.

this environment mechanism(EA) said a 69-year-old man was arrested at a property in Andover, while a 54-year-old man was arrested in Slough.

Both men were arrested on suspicion of environmental crimes and money laundering Environment Agency says huge pile of rubbish dumped near Kidlington. They have been released on conditional bail pending further enquiries.

A 39-year-old man from the Guildford area was arrested in November as part of the same investigation.

The tip is located between the River Cherwell and the A34 and is believed to be 150 meters long and contains approximately 20,000 tons of waste. This has raised concerns about pollution in nearby rivers.

150m long mountain of illegally dumped rubbish beside the A34 in Kidlington and near the River Cherwell (PA)

Commenting on the arrest, Emma Wiener, enforcement and investigations manager at the Environment Agency’s national environmental crime unit, said: “Illegal waste dumping in Kidlington was a brutal and deliberate attack on our environment and the Environment Agency shares the community’s outrage at this horrific crime.

“Our teams have been working tirelessly with the South East Regional Organized Crime Unit on this investigation. These joint efforts have resulted in additional arrests and are another important step in gathering new evidence and advancing the investigation.”

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In December, the Environment Agency said planning work to clear the illegal sites had begun, with waste removal services planned to be available by the end of February.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “The illegal dumping of waste in Kidlington is appalling, causing serious damage to the environment and causing distress to the local community.

“I welcome these arrests as an important step in bringing justice to local residents.

Police are investigating a massive illegal dumping incident in Kidlington, Oxfordshire and have arrested a suspect. — Police are investigating a large-scale illegal dumping incident in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, and arrests have been made. (Defra/PA line)

“The government is committed to stamping out this type of crime across the country, increasing funding to tackle waste crime, employing more officers and introducing tougher checks and penalties for offenders.”

According to the BBC, more than 700 illegal dumpsites will be closed between 2024 and 2025, most of which are hidden in rural areas that should be farmland.

Waste crime is becoming a growing problem in the UK, with high-profile illegal dumpsites sparking widespread outrage in recent months.

The Kidlington dump is reportedly one of hundreds still found in EA data.

Some 517 waste sites were operating at the end of last year, including 11 “super sites”, according to figures obtained by the BBC under freedom of information laws.