Shocking images laid bare the scale of one of Britain’s worst-ever fly-tipping crimes with a 500ft-long river of rubbish running alongside the A34 in Kidlington
Two men have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal tipping of waste at a site near the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire.
The dumping of a 150-metre long mountain of waste in a field alongside the A34 in Kidlington raises the risk of pollution into the nearby river, has provoked widespread outrage, and was declared a critical incident by the Environment Agency.
The agency said a 69-year-old man was arrested at a property in Andover and a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough on Thursday, both for alleged environmental and money laundering offences. They were arrested by officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, working in support of the EA and alongside Thames Valley Police, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, and Surrey Police.
They were arrested by officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), working in support of the EA and alongside Thames Valley Police, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, and Surrey Police.
They were released on conditional bail pending further investigation.
The development, hailed as “another welcome step in delivering justice for the local community” by the EA, followed the arrest in November of a 39-year-old man from the Guildford area of Surrey.
A first report of waste being tipped in Kidlington was made in early July last year, according to the EA, which said it attended the site shortly afterwards.
The agency said a further site visit carried out the same month showed no change, and a cease-and-desist letter was issued to prevent more tipping.
When officers became aware of more dumping in October, the EA applied for and secured a court order to close down the site, and it has been taking action to prevent pollution from the waste pile and investigate the illegal activity.
In January, the Government said an operation to clear the site should begin in February, and it may take until the end of the year. Emma Viner, enforcement and investigations manager in the EA’s National Environmental Crime Unit, said: “The illegal dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our environment, and the EA shares the community’s anger at this horrific crime.
“Our teams have been working tirelessly with the SEROCU on this investigation. These joint efforts have resulted in further arrests, which are another vital step in collecting new evidence and progressing our investigation.”
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “The illegal dumping of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has caused significant damage to the environment and distress to the local community.
“I welcome these arrests – an important step in securing justice for local residents.
“The Government is committed to stamping out this type of criminality across the country, by boosting funds to tackle waste crime, hiring more officers and introducing tougher checks and penalties for those who break the law.”
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