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Two individuals have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the dumping of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in association with the massive pile of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a previous investigation which exposed the existence of over 500 illegal tips throughout England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities said that the detentions were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of waste is made up of what looks to be treated household waste, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted household articles.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps in the country, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such larger sites is likely to be higher, as the environment agency has in the past acknowledged it does not possess records on tonnage for each unlawful tip.

Most such locations are in agricultural areas, often out of sight, and on land that should be farm property.

Criminal Enterprise

Law enforcement say a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are generating money by charging far less than licensed operators to receive and landfill garbage.

Firms have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the quantity and nature of waste they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Anger

Preparation operations to clean up the affected dump commenced earlier this month due to worries over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A private waste clearance contractor has been awarded the task to handle the site over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's regulatory division commented that the agency would be seeking to claim back the clearance expenses under confiscation legislation from any party successfully found guilty at the conclusion of its ongoing case.

She further stated that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized dump at the site was an appalling and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the community's outrage at this egregious offence," she said.

A government representative welcomed the actions, adding: "The unauthorized deposit of waste at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in substantial detriment to the environment and distress to the surrounding population.

"Our government is pledged to eliminating this type of crime throughout the nation, by boosting resources to tackle environmental crime, employing more staff and implementing stricter controls and penalties for those who break the rules."

The arrests were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a dedicated organised crime team and are in addition to an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in November. He was let go pending more enquiries.