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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an investigation into the dumping of thousands of tonnes of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in association with the huge pile of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a previous investigation which revealed the operation of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps in the country of England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environment body said that the arrests were for ecological and financial crimes and were a "crucial step" in active inquiries. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to house about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of waste is composed of what looks to be sorted domestic rubbish, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and other everyday articles.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized sites in England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total number of such bigger dumps is probably to be greater, as the environment body has previously acknowledged it does not possess records on tonnage for every unlawful tip.

A large proportion of such locations are in rural locations, often hidden, and on land that should be agricultural property.

Organized Operations

Police say many are run by organized crime groups, who are earning money by demanding significantly less than licensed operators to take and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the volume and nature of waste they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Initial operations to clear the Kidlington area site started in recent weeks following worries over the risk of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted clean-up company has been granted the task to deal with the location over the following 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's environment team commented that the agency would be aiming to recoup the clearance funds under proceeds of crime laws from any party ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She added that the recent arrests would help "move the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "pursue more leads to ascertain in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at the site was an atrocious and intentional attack on our ecology and the authorities understand the public's outrage at this horrific act," she remarked.

A senior minister welcomed the detentions, adding: "The illegal deposit of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant harm to the environment and distress to the surrounding residents.

"Our authorities is committed to eliminating this category of criminality in the UK, by increasing resources to combat illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and implementing stricter controls and fines for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime team and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was released awaiting further inquiries.