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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of tonnes of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous heap of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions follow a recent investigation which revealed the presence of more than 500 unlawful dumps across England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environment agency said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "key step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is believed to house around 21,000 tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is consists of what looks to be sorted domestic refuse, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and various everyday items.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unlawful dumps throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of garbage. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual number of such bigger sites is probably to be higher, as the environmental agency has in the past stated it does not possess information on weight for all unlawful dump.

The majority these sites are in countryside settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Organised Activity

Authorities state many are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating money by asking for far less than licensed firms to take and bury garbage.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the amount and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington area site started recently due to fears over the potential of fire and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted waste clearance company has been given the job to handle the area over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national environment team commented that the body would be looking to claim back the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime laws from any party ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She noted that these arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more leads to understand exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"The illegal dump at the site was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our environment and officials empathize with the community's outrage at this terrible offence," she stated.

A senior representative supported the actions, adding: "This unlawful deposit of garbage at Kidlington is disgraceful and has led to substantial damage to the environment and anguish to the local population.

"The government is pledged to eradicating this category of criminality across the country, by augmenting funds to tackle waste crime, employing more officers and introducing more severe measures and sanctions for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime squad and are in addition to an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was set free subject to more investigations.