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A pair of individuals have been detained as a component of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in association with the enormous mound of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a recent report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips throughout England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environmental body commented that the arrests were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "vital step" in active investigations. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Size of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is believed to house around 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of garbage is composed of what seems to be processed domestic rubbish, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted everyday items.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful tips in the country, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total amount of such major locations is likely to be greater, as the environment body has in the past stated it does not hold data on volume for each unauthorized dump.

The majority these sites are in rural locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be farm property.

Organised Activity

Authorities say a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by demanding significantly less than licensed operators to receive and bury garbage.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the volume and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Preparation efforts to remove the affected site commenced in recent weeks amid worries over the risk of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been given the task to handle the area over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the national regulatory division said that the body would be looking to recoup the remediation costs under confiscation acts from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the end of its ongoing case.

She added that this week's arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "follow more leads to understand exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unlawful tip at this location was an shocking and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the local outrage at this terrible crime," she said.

A senior representative praised the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized deposit of waste at this location is disgraceful and has caused substantial detriment to the ecology and upset to the surrounding community.

"The administration is pledged to eradicating this type of criminality in the nation, by augmenting resources to combat waste crime, employing more personnel and introducing stricter controls and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by officers from a regional serious crime squad and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free subject to more investigations.