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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of tonnes of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the huge heap of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a previous report which exposed the presence of more than 500 illegal sites across England, including at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environment authorities commented that the arrests were for ecological and financial violations and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. Both men have been released on bail.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34, is believed to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is composed of what appears to be treated residential waste, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household items.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unlawful dumps in the country, at a minimum of 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of waste. These 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 dump in Kent.

The total figure of such major sites is probably to be higher, as the regulatory authority has earlier acknowledged it does not maintain data on tonnage for each unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural areas, often concealed, and on land that should be arable property.

Organised Operations

Police say a significant number are run by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by demanding significantly less than legitimate operators to receive and landfill waste.

Businesses have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate waste facilities, 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

Preparatory operations to clean up the Kidlington area site commenced in recent weeks following worries over the threat of blaze and the impact that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted waste clearance company has been given the job to handle the area over the following 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government regulatory division commented that the body would be looking to recoup the clearance funds under asset recovery laws from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that these apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what happened and who was implicated".

"This unlawful site at this location was an appalling and deliberate attack on our ecology and officials share the public's outrage at this terrible act," she said.

A cabinet representative supported the actions, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at this location is disgraceful and has led to substantial detriment to the ecology and upset to the nearby population.

"The government is dedicated to eradicating this category of criminality in the country, by augmenting funds to tackle environmental crime, hiring more personnel and introducing more severe controls and sanctions for those who violate the rules."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime squad and come after an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in last November. He was let go subject to further inquiries.