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Two individuals have been detained as an element of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in association with the huge heap of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a recent revelation which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips throughout England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory agency said that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and represented a "crucial step" in active probes. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to house around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is made up of what seems to be processed residential refuse, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, tires and assorted household articles.

It is just one example of 517 illegal sites in England, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall figure of such bigger locations is expected to be greater, as the environment authority has previously stated it does not possess data on volume for each unlawful site.

The majority sites are in countryside locations, often hidden, and on land that should be farm ground.

Criminal Operations

Law enforcement report numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by asking for significantly less than lawful operators to accept and landfill garbage.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the quantity and category of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Outrage

Preparatory work to clean up the Kidlington area location started earlier this month amid concerns over the risk of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial waste clearance contractor has been granted the job to deal with the site over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's regulatory division commented that the authority would be aiming to claim back the remediation costs under proceeds of crime laws from any party successfully convicted at the conclusion of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that the recent detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more avenues to ascertain exactly what happened and who was a party to it".

"The unauthorized site at this location was an appalling and calculated affront on our environment and we understand the community's frustration at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized deposit of garbage at the site is appalling and has led to significant damage to the ecology and upset to the local residents.

"Our authorities is pledged to stamping out this type of crime in the country, by augmenting funds to combat waste crime, hiring more personnel and implementing more severe controls and penalties for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were made on the specified day by personnel from a specialist organised crime team and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released subject to additional investigations.