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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in association with the massive pile of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a previous report which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 illegal dumps throughout the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environment authorities said that the arrests were for ecological and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "key step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what looks to be treated domestic refuse, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and other everyday articles.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total amount of such bigger dumps is likely to be larger, as the environment body has in the past indicated it does not hold data on tonnage for each illegal dump.

The majority such locations are in countryside areas, typically out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement state many are operated by organized crime groups, who are generating money by charging much less than lawful operators to accept and landfill garbage.

Firms have to pay site fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the volume and type of refuse they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Preparation work to clear the affected location began earlier this month following concerns over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A private waste removal contractor has been granted the job to handle the site over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the national environment division commented that the agency would be looking to claim back the clean-up funds under asset recovery laws from any individual successfully prosecuted at the end of its active inquiry.

She added that this week's detentions would help "move the probe forward" and permit authorities to "follow more lines of inquiry to understand precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful site at the site was an atrocious and calculated attack on our environment and officials share the community's anger at this terrible crime," she stated.

A senior official supported the actions, commenting: "This unlawful deposit of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in considerable damage to the environment and anguish to the local residents.

"The administration is committed to eliminating this type of crime in the nation, by increasing funds to address illegal dumping, employing more officers and enacting stricter checks and fines for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated serious crime unit and come after an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford region in last November. He was let go pending additional investigations.