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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of tonnes of waste in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in relation with the huge mound of rubbish tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions follow a recent report which revealed the operation of in excess of 500 illegal dumps throughout England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environment authorities commented that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial violations and represented a "crucial step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to hold about 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is made up of what looks to be processed domestic waste, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and other domestic items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful tips in England, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall number of such major dumps is probably to be greater, as the regulatory agency has in the past acknowledged it does not hold data on tonnage for each illegal site.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural settings, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be farm ground.

Criminal Activity

Police say a significant number are managed by criminal organizations, who are making money by asking for much less than lawful operators to receive and dispose of garbage.

Firms have to pay site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, based on the volume and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Outrage

Preparatory efforts to remove the Kidlington area location began earlier this month due to concerns over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste removal firm has been granted the job to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government environmental crime division said that the agency would be aiming to claim back the clearance funds under asset recovery legislation from anyone convicted at the conclusion of its active investigation.

She further stated that these detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more leads to understand in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an shocking and deliberate assault on our environment and we empathize with the local frustration at this egregious crime," she stated.

A cabinet representative welcomed the detentions, commenting: "This unlawful deposit of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has caused considerable detriment to the environment and anguish to the nearby population.

"Our administration is pledged to eradicating this category of criminality in the nation, by augmenting funds to address illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and introducing stricter controls and penalties for those who violate the law."

The arrests were executed on the specified day by personnel from a specialist serious crime squad and are in addition to an prior arrest of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in November. He was let go pending more inquiries.