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Two individuals have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in association with the massive mound of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a recent report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 illegal dumps across the country of England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment agency commented that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and represented a "key step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Scale of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to contain approximately 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what appears to be sorted domestic waste, shredded plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and various household objects.

It is just a single of 517 illegal tips throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of rubbish. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total amount of such bigger sites is expected to be greater, as the environment agency has earlier acknowledged it does not maintain information on volume for all unauthorized site.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural settings, frequently concealed, and on land that is intended to be farm ground.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement report a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are making profit by charging much less than licensed firms to receive and bury waste.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Outrage

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington dump commenced in recent weeks following worries over the risk of combustion and the impact that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the task to remediate the location over the following 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national environmental crime unit stated that the authority would be seeking to recover the clearance expenses under confiscation legislation from any party convicted at the end of its active inquiry.

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

"The illegal tip at this location was an shocking and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the public's frustration at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A government representative supported the detentions, commenting: "This unauthorized dumping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has resulted in substantial damage to the ecology and upset to the surrounding community.

"Our authorities is dedicated to stamping out this type of crime in the nation, by augmenting resources to address illegal dumping, hiring more personnel and introducing stricter checks and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were made on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional serious crime team and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was set free awaiting more investigations.