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Two men have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive pile of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a previous revelation which exposed the operation of in excess of 500 unlawful sites across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environmental authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial offences and represented a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Scale of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to hold about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is consists of what looks to be processed household refuse, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tyres and various everyday items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized tips throughout the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total amount of such major locations is probably to be higher, as the regulatory agency has in the past stated it does not hold data on tonnage for every unauthorized dump.

Most these sites are in countryside settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Criminal Activity

Police state numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating money by asking for significantly less than licensed operators to take and dispose of waste.

Firms have to incur site fees to use lawful landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and category of material they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Preparation efforts to remove the affected dump started in recent weeks due to worries over the threat of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been given the task to deal with the site over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's environmental crime unit commented that the agency would be aiming to claim back the remediation expenses under confiscation laws from any individual successfully convicted at the termination of its current inquiry.

She further stated that the recent detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "follow more avenues to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and we share the community's anger at this egregious crime," she said.

A government minister supported the detentions, adding: "This illegal deposit of waste at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has led to significant harm to the environment and anguish to the nearby residents.

"The government is pledged to eliminating this type of criminality across the nation, by boosting funds to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and implementing tougher controls and penalties for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a regional serious crime team and follow an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in November. He was set free awaiting more enquiries.