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A pair of individuals have been arrested as part of an investigation into the dumping of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the massive heap of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a prior revelation which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized sites in England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environment body said that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and were a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on conditional release.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of waste is composed of what appears to be processed residential rubbish, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, tyres and various household articles.

It is just one example of 517 illegal tips across England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual figure of such major sites is expected to be higher, as the environmental body has previously stated it does not maintain information on weight for all unlawful site.

The majority sites are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Organised Activity

Police say a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by charging significantly less than legitimate companies to take and dispose of waste.

Companies have to incur site fees to use legitimate disposal sites, contingent on the volume and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Preparatory work to remove the Kidlington area site commenced recently following fears over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been granted the job to deal with the area over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environment unit said that the agency would be aiming to claim back the clearance expenses under asset recovery acts from anyone ultimately found guilty at the conclusion of its active case.

She further stated that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more avenues to determine precisely what happened and who was involved".

"The illegal site at the site was an shocking and intentional assault on our natural surroundings and officials empathize with the public's outrage at this terrible act," she remarked.

A cabinet minister welcomed the detentions, commenting: "This unauthorized dumping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has led to substantial harm to the environment and anguish to the surrounding community.

"The administration is dedicated to eradicating this type of criminality throughout the country, by increasing resources to tackle waste crime, employing more staff and enacting tougher checks and sanctions for those who flout the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional organised crime team and are in addition to an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting further inquiries.