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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous heap of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a recent revelation which exposed the operation of more than 500 unauthorized tips across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities commented that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "crucial step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Size of the Problem

The dump in near Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is thought to hold around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is composed of what appears to be treated residential rubbish, fragmented plastics, polystyrene, tyres and assorted household objects.

It represents just a single of 517 unlawful sites across the country, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The overall figure of such larger locations is expected to be greater, as the environmental body has previously stated it does not possess data on weight for every unlawful site.

Most such locations are in agricultural areas, often concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Organised Activity

Authorities say numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by asking for significantly less than licensed operators to accept and dispose of waste.

Companies have to incur disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the volume and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Outrage

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington area location began earlier this month following worries over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A private waste clearance company has been granted the contract to handle the site over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national environment unit stated that the authority would be seeking to claim back the remediation expenses under asset recovery laws from anyone successfully convicted at the end of its current investigation.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was involved".

"This illegal site at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate affront on our ecology and the authorities share the local outrage at this horrific act," she stated.

A government representative welcomed the detentions, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of rubbish at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial detriment to the environment and anguish to the nearby population.

"Our government is pledged to eradicating this type of criminality throughout the nation, by boosting resources to tackle environmental crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing stricter measures and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime squad and are in addition to an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was released subject to additional enquiries.