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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an probe into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in association with the huge pile of waste dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous revelation which uncovered the existence of more than 500 illegal tips across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment agency stated that the arrests were for environment-related and financial violations and were a "key step" in active probes. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to hold about 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what seems to be processed domestic refuse, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and other domestic articles.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal sites in England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tons of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such larger locations is probably to be greater, as the environment authority has previously indicated it does not hold information on tonnage for every unauthorized tip.

The majority these sites are in countryside areas, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Organized Activity

Police report a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by charging much less than legitimate operators to accept and bury garbage.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, based on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Anger

Initial efforts to remove the affected dump started earlier this month amid worries over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private clean-up firm has been granted the task to remediate the location over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the national environment division said that the body would be aiming to recover the remediation funds under confiscation acts from any party ultimately prosecuted at the end of its current investigation.

She added that the recent detentions would help "move the probe forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more avenues to ascertain exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at this location was an appalling and intentional attack on our environment and officials share the local anger at this egregious offence," she remarked.

A cabinet representative supported the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized tipping of garbage at this location is appalling and has resulted in substantial detriment to the ecology and upset to the local population.

"Our administration is committed to eradicating this kind of illegal activity in the nation, by augmenting funds to address waste crime, employing more officers and implementing stricter controls and penalties for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by officers from a specialist crime squad and come after an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was set free pending more enquiries.