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Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in relation with the enormous pile of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a previous investigation which uncovered the existence of over 500 unlawful sites in England, including at least 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental agency said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial violations and were a "vital step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Scale of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to hold approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is composed of what seems to be processed residential waste, fragmented plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and other everyday objects.

It represents just a single of 517 unlawful tips throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such major dumps is probably to be larger, as the environment authority has earlier acknowledged it does not hold data on tonnage for every unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of such locations are in rural areas, frequently hidden, and on land that should be arable ground.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement say a significant number are run by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by charging much less than licensed operators to take and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Initial work to clear the affected dump commenced in recent weeks following concerns over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been awarded the contract to handle the location over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government regulatory division stated that the body would be looking to claim back the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime acts from any party successfully prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She added that the recent detentions would help "drive the probe forward" and allow the agency to "investigate more leads to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was implicated".

"The illegal tip at this location was an shocking and intentional attack on our ecology and we empathize with the local outrage at this horrific crime," she stated.

A senior representative praised the actions, adding: "This illegal tipping of garbage at the site is disgraceful and has led to substantial harm to the environment and upset to the surrounding population.

"Our government is committed to stamping out this type of crime across the UK, by augmenting funds to address environmental crime, employing more officers and implementing stricter measures and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were made on Thursday by officers from a regional crime team and follow an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released subject to more inquiries.