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A pair of individuals have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous mound of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a prior report which exposed the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps throughout England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities said that the detentions were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "vital step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Situation

The dump in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house about 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what appears to be processed domestic refuse, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tires and various everyday objects.

It represents just one of 517 illegal sites across England, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger dumps is probably to be greater, as the environmental agency has previously acknowledged it does not hold data on volume for each unauthorized dump.

Most these sites are in rural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be arable property.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement report many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by asking for far less than lawful operators to take and dispose of waste.

Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, based on the amount and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Preparation work to remove the affected site began in recent weeks due to worries over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A private waste clearance company has been awarded the job to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's regulatory unit stated that the agency would be aiming to recover the remediation expenses under confiscation laws from any individual convicted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "investigate more leads to understand precisely what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at this location was an atrocious and calculated assault on our ecology and officials understand the public's anger at this horrific offence," she stated.

A government official welcomed the arrests, adding: "This unlawful deposit of rubbish at the site is appalling and has led to substantial detriment to the ecology and distress to the nearby community.

"The government is pledged to stamping out this category of crime across the country, by boosting financing to combat illegal dumping, hiring more officers and enacting tougher checks and sanctions for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were carried out on a recent Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime team and follow an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was set free pending more inquiries.