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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in association with the massive pile of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior investigation which revealed the existence of over 500 unauthorized tips across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environment agency stated that the arrests were for ecological and financial crimes and were a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to hold about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is composed of what seems to be processed domestic rubbish, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, tires and various domestic articles.

It is just a single of 517 illegal sites across England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such major dumps is probably to be larger, as the regulatory body has earlier stated it does not maintain records on weight for every unauthorized tip.

Most sites are in agricultural locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities state a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating money by demanding significantly less than lawful companies to receive and landfill waste.

Companies have to pay site fees to use licensed landfill sites, based on the quantity and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Outrage

Initial work to remove the Kidlington location commenced in recent weeks due to fears over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private waste removal contractor has been given the job to remediate the location over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's environment division said that the agency would be seeking to claim back the clearance expenses under asset recovery laws from anyone ultimately found guilty at the conclusion of its active case.

She added that this week's detentions would help "move the inquiry forward" and enable the agency to "investigate more leads to determine in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"This unlawful tip at Kidlington was an shocking and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the local anger at this terrible offence," she said.

A cabinet official welcomed the detentions, commenting: "This illegal tipping of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused substantial harm to the environment and distress to the local residents.

"The administration is dedicated to eliminating this kind of crime in the UK, by augmenting funds to address illegal dumping, hiring more personnel and introducing tougher checks and penalties for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by officers from a dedicated organised crime team and come after an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was released awaiting further investigations.