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A pair of individuals have been arrested as a component of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tonnes of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in connection with the huge pile of waste dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests come after a prior revelation which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body stated that the detentions were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "vital step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain around 21,000 tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is made up of what appears to be treated residential refuse, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tires and other domestic articles.

It represents just a single of 517 unlawful sites in the country, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual figure of such larger locations is likely to be larger, as the regulatory agency has previously acknowledged it does not possess records on tonnage for each illegal dump.

Most sites are in rural areas, often concealed, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Organized Activity

Law enforcement report a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating money by asking for far less than legitimate companies to receive and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, contingent 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.

Local Outrage

Preparatory efforts to clean up the Kidlington area dump commenced recently amid worries over the risk of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial waste removal firm has been given the job to handle the area over the coming 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the country's environment unit commented that the agency would be aiming to recoup the clearance expenses under asset recovery legislation from any party prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She added that this week's detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"This illegal tip at Kidlington was an shocking and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and officials understand the local anger at this horrific act," she remarked.

A senior official supported the actions, stating: "This unlawful tipping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has caused significant damage to the ecology and upset to the surrounding community.

"The authorities is pledged to stamping out this type of crime throughout the nation, by boosting funds to combat waste crime, hiring more officers and introducing more severe controls and penalties for those who flout the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated crime squad and follow an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was let go awaiting additional inquiries.