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Two individuals have been taken into custody as part of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous mound of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests follow a previous report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful tips throughout the country of England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory agency commented that the arrests were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "vital step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Scale of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain approximately 21,000 tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of garbage is made up of what looks to be treated domestic refuse, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and various everyday articles.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal sites throughout England, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total figure of such bigger sites is expected to be larger, as the environmental agency has earlier indicated it does not possess records on weight for each illegal site.

A large proportion of sites are in rural locations, often concealed, and on land that should be arable property.

Organised Activity

Law enforcement state a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by demanding much less than lawful operators to take and landfill garbage.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the volume and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory work to clean up the Kidlington site commenced in recent weeks due to fears over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted waste clearance firm has been given the contract to remediate the location over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the government environmental crime division commented that the agency would be seeking to recoup the clearance costs under proceeds of crime acts from any party ultimately found guilty at the conclusion of its active inquiry.

She noted that this week's detentions would help "push the probe forward" and allow the agency to "investigate more leads to ascertain precisely what happened and who was involved".

"The illegal site at this location was an appalling and calculated affront on our ecology and officials understand the local outrage at this egregious crime," she remarked.

A cabinet representative praised the detentions, adding: "The unauthorized tipping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has caused considerable damage to the natural world and distress to the surrounding community.

"The government is committed to eradicating this category of crime across the nation, by increasing resources to address illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and implementing more severe measures and fines for those who break the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a specialist crime unit and come after an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in last November. He was set free awaiting more investigations.