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Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the massive pile of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a recent revelation which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps across the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment agency commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "vital step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to contain about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is consists of what appears to be processed residential waste, fragmented plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and other household objects.

It represents just a single of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tons of garbage. These feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual number of such bigger dumps is likely to be higher, as the environment body has previously indicated it does not possess data on weight for every illegal site.

A large proportion of these sites are in countryside areas, frequently hidden, and on land that should be agricultural property.

Organized Operations

Law enforcement report a significant number are managed by criminal organizations, who are making money by asking for significantly less than lawful firms to accept and bury waste.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Initial work to clear the Kidlington area location started recently following worries over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A contracted waste removal company has been given the contract to handle the area over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national environment unit stated that the authority would be seeking to claim back the remediation costs under asset recovery legislation from anyone ultimately prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She added that these arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"The unlawful site at this location was an appalling and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the public's outrage at this egregious act," she said.

A government minister praised the arrests, commenting: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has led to substantial harm to the natural world and distress to the nearby residents.

"Our government is dedicated to stamping out this category of criminality throughout the UK, by boosting funds to address environmental crime, recruiting more staff and enacting stricter controls and fines for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on a recent Thursday by officers from a specialist crime team and are in addition to an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was let go awaiting more investigations.