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Two individuals have been arrested as an element of an investigation into the tipping of several thousand of tons of refuse in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the huge pile of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a recent report which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 unlawful sites across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment agency stated that the arrests were for environmental and financial crimes and were a "vital step" in active investigations. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to contain around 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is consists of what appears to be treated household refuse, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and other household articles.

It is just one of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total figure of such bigger locations is likely to be greater, as the regulatory body has earlier stated it does not possess information on tonnage for every unauthorized tip.

Most sites are in countryside areas, often concealed, and on land that should be farm property.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities report many are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by asking for significantly less than legitimate companies to receive and bury rubbish.

Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Preparatory work to remove the Kidlington location began recently amid concerns over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been awarded the task to handle the site over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the national environmental crime unit commented that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance expenses under asset recovery acts from any individual successfully convicted at the end of its active case.

She added that this week's detentions would help "push the probe forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful dump at this location was an appalling and intentional assault on our natural surroundings and we understand the local anger at this terrible offence," she stated.

A cabinet representative praised the actions, adding: "This illegal tipping of rubbish at the site is appalling and has caused substantial detriment to the environment and distress to the local population.

"Our government is committed to stamping out this kind of illegal activity in the country, by boosting resources to address environmental crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing stricter checks and penalties for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a specialist serious crime team and follow an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was set free subject to additional inquiries.