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Two individuals have been detained as part of an probe into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the huge pile of garbage deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a prior revelation which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 unlawful sites across England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental authorities commented that the detentions were for environment-related and financial offences and represented a "key step" in continuing inquiries. Both men have been released on bail.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what appears to be processed household waste, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, automobile tires and various everyday items.

It constitutes just one example of 517 illegal dumps throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total figure of such larger sites is likely to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously acknowledged it does not possess records on weight for every unlawful tip.

Most sites are in rural locations, often out of sight, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement state a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are earning money by charging far less than licensed firms to receive and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to incur gate fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the amount and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Preparatory operations to clear the Kidlington site commenced earlier this month amid worries over the risk of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby major road.

A contracted clean-up company has been given the job to handle the area over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the government environment team said that the body would be looking to recoup the remediation funds under confiscation legislation from any party successfully found guilty at the termination of its active inquiry.

She added that the recent arrests would help "push the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand precisely what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This illegal tip at this location was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the local anger at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A senior minister supported the actions, commenting: "The unauthorized deposit of rubbish at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the natural world and anguish to the local population.

"Our government is pledged to eliminating this category of illegal activity in the UK, by boosting resources to address environmental crime, hiring more personnel and implementing tougher checks and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were made on the specified day by agents from a regional serious crime squad and come after an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in last November. He was set free subject to more inquiries.