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Two individuals have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive pile of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests follow a previous revelation which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 unlawful tips across the country of England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environmental authorities commented that the apprehensions were for environmental and money laundering violations and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34, is thought to hold around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of rubbish is consists of what seems to be sorted domestic waste, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and other everyday objects.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such major dumps is expected to be higher, as the environment authority has in the past indicated it does not hold data on tonnage for each unlawful dump.

Most these sites are in countryside areas, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Criminal Operations

Authorities report many are managed by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by charging significantly less than legitimate companies to accept and bury garbage.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate disposal sites, depending on the volume and type of refuse they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington area dump started earlier this month amid fears over the risk of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted clean-up contractor has been given the contract to remediate the site over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the government environmental crime unit said that the body would be aiming to recoup the remediation funds under proceeds of crime laws from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its current investigation.

She further stated that this week's arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and permit officials to "investigate more avenues to understand precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"This unauthorized site at this location was an atrocious and calculated affront on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the community's outrage at this egregious crime," she said.

A senior representative praised the detentions, commenting: "The unauthorized dumping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has led to significant detriment to the environment and upset to the nearby population.

"Our government is pledged to eradicating this type of illegal activity across the nation, by boosting resources to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more staff and introducing more severe measures and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by personnel from a regional serious crime team and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was released pending further investigations.