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Two individuals have been taken into custody as part of an inquiry into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of waste in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in association with the massive pile of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior investigation which revealed the operation of over 500 unauthorized dumps throughout the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory agency commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial crimes and represented a "key step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been set free on conditional release.

Scale of the Problem

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to contain about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of waste is made up of what looks to be treated residential waste, chopped up plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various household objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 illegal sites in England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger dumps is expected to be higher, as the environmental agency has in the past stated it does not maintain data on tonnage for all unauthorized dump.

The majority these sites are in rural settings, frequently concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement say a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning cash by asking for far less than legitimate companies to accept and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the volume and nature of waste they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Preparation work to clean up the Kidlington location commenced recently amid worries over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.

A private waste clearance contractor has been granted the task to remediate the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national environment team commented that the authority would be seeking to recoup the remediation funds under proceeds of crime legislation from any individual ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its active case.

She further stated that these arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was implicated".

"The illegal dump at the site was an appalling and intentional assault on our ecology and we share the local anger at this horrific act," she stated.

A government official supported the detentions, commenting: "The illegal deposit of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in significant harm to the environment and anguish to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is pledged to eliminating this category of criminality throughout the nation, by increasing funds to combat environmental crime, hiring more officers and introducing stricter controls and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional crime squad and come after an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was released pending further enquiries.