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Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous mound of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions come after a prior report which exposed the existence of over 500 illegal dumps throughout England, including at least 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A official for the regulatory agency said that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering violations and were a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to contain about 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is made up of what looks to be processed domestic waste, chopped up plastic items, polystyrene, tyres and various household objects.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal dumps throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual number of such larger dumps is expected to be higher, as the environmental authority has in the past stated it does not hold data on weight for every unlawful tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural areas, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be farm land.

Organized Enterprise

Police report many are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating cash by asking for significantly less than lawful companies to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use lawful landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Preparation work to clear the affected location commenced in recent weeks due to concerns over the risk of fire and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted clean-up firm has been awarded the task to deal with the location over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's regulatory team said that the agency would be aiming to recover the remediation funds under proceeds of crime laws from any party convicted at the end of its current investigation.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and enable authorities to "follow more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what happened and who was a party to it".

"This illegal dump at this location was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our environment and the authorities understand the local outrage at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A senior representative welcomed the actions, stating: "The unlawful dumping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has caused substantial harm to the natural world and anguish to the nearby community.

"The administration is pledged to eliminating this type of illegal activity in the UK, by increasing funds to tackle environmental crime, hiring more personnel and introducing more severe measures and sanctions for those who flout the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on the specified day by officers from a regional serious crime team and follow an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in last November. He was released subject to additional investigations.