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Two individuals have been arrested as a component of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in relation with the massive heap of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests come after a previous report which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized sites in the country of England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment agency said that the detentions were for ecological and financial crimes and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to hold around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of waste is made up of what looks to be sorted domestic waste, chopped up plastic materials, polystyrene, tyres and other everyday items.

It represents just one example of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual figure of such bigger sites is expected to be larger, as the environment agency has in the past stated it does not maintain records on volume for all illegal site.

Most such locations are in countryside settings, typically hidden, and on land that should be agricultural ground.

Organized Operations

Law enforcement say a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by demanding significantly less than lawful companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the amount and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Initial operations to clear the Kidlington area dump commenced recently due to fears over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been granted the job to deal with the location over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government environment team stated that the agency would be aiming to recover the remediation expenses under asset recovery laws from anyone successfully prosecuted at the termination of its current inquiry.

She added that this week's arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and enable authorities to "follow more leads to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized site at this location was an shocking and intentional assault on our environment and the authorities share the local anger at this horrific crime," she said.

A senior representative supported the actions, stating: "The unlawful dumping of garbage at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the natural world and distress to the local residents.

"The government is dedicated to eliminating this type of criminality in the nation, by boosting funds to tackle waste crime, hiring more personnel and enacting stricter measures and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by officers from a dedicated serious crime unit and are in addition to an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was set free subject to additional investigations.