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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of several thousand of tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in association with the massive mound of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a recent report which exposed the operation of in excess of 500 illegal dumps across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory body commented that the arrests were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and were a "key step" in active probes. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

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

This mound of rubbish is made up of what looks to be treated residential waste, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and other household objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 illegal sites throughout England, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of garbage. These include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such bigger dumps is expected to be larger, as the environmental agency has earlier indicated it does not hold records on weight for every illegal dump.

A large proportion of sites are in countryside areas, typically hidden, and on land that should be farm property.

Organized Operations

Authorities state a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning profit by asking for far less than lawful operators to accept and dispose of waste.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use legitimate waste facilities, depending on the volume and type of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Preparatory operations to clear the Kidlington location began recently following worries over the potential of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted clean-up contractor has been given the job to remediate the area over the coming 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environmental crime team stated that the agency would be looking to claim back the clean-up funds under confiscation acts from anyone found guilty at the end of its current investigation.

She noted that the recent apprehensions would help "move the investigation forward" and permit officials to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful dump at this location was an atrocious and calculated attack on our environment and the authorities understand the community's outrage at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the arrests, commenting: "This illegal deposit of garbage at the site is appalling and has resulted in considerable damage to the natural world and distress to the nearby residents.

"The administration is pledged to eradicating this category of crime throughout the nation, by augmenting funds to combat waste crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing stricter checks and penalties for those who break the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a specialist serious crime squad and follow an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was released subject to more enquiries.