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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in relation with the huge heap of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions follow a recent investigation which revealed the operation of over 500 unlawful sites in the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environmental authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and represented a "key step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been released on bail.

Size of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to contain around 21,000 tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what seems to be treated residential rubbish, shredded plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and various domestic objects.

It represents just one of 517 illegal sites in England, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total number of such bigger sites is expected to be larger, as the environment authority has in the past acknowledged it does not possess data on tonnage for every unlawful dump.

The majority such locations are in countryside areas, typically out of sight, and on land that should be farm land.

Criminal Operations

Police state a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by asking for much less than lawful firms to accept and dispose of waste.

Firms have to incur site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the quantity and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Outrage

Preparatory work to remove the Kidlington area dump commenced in recent weeks following worries over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A commercial clean-up company has been awarded the contract to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the national environment team stated that the body would be seeking to recover the remediation funds under confiscation legislation from anyone successfully found guilty at the termination of its current case.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and enable the agency to "follow more avenues to understand in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful site at the site was an shocking and deliberate attack on our environment and officials understand the local anger at this terrible crime," she said.

A government representative welcomed the actions, stating: "The unauthorized deposit of rubbish at the site is appalling and has caused significant detriment to the environment and distress to the surrounding community.

"Our government is pledged to stamping out this type of crime throughout the UK, by increasing financing to combat illegal dumping, employing more staff and enacting more severe measures and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated serious crime unit and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting more enquiries.