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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous mound of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These detentions follow a recent investigation which exposed the existence of more than 500 illegal sites throughout England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment body commented that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial violations and were a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been released on bail.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what looks to be processed household refuse, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tires and various household objects.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They include a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such larger sites is probably to be larger, as the regulatory agency has earlier indicated it does not possess records on weight for every unauthorized site.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural locations, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as agricultural land.

Organized Activity

Police state many are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by demanding significantly less than licensed firms to receive and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, contingent on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Preparation work to clear the Kidlington area location began in recent weeks due to fears over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A private clean-up contractor has been given the job to handle the site over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the national environmental crime unit stated that the body would be looking to recoup the clearance costs under proceeds of crime acts from anyone successfully prosecuted at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that these arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow officials to "follow more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what transpired and who was involved".

"This unlawful dump at the site was an appalling and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the local outrage at this egregious offence," she said.

A cabinet official welcomed the actions, commenting: "This illegal deposit of rubbish at Kidlington is appalling and has led to considerable damage to the ecology and distress to the surrounding population.

"Our government is pledged to eradicating this type of illegal activity across the UK, by augmenting resources to tackle environmental crime, employing more officers and introducing stricter checks and fines for those who break the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by officers from a dedicated crime team and come after an prior arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was let go pending more enquiries.