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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tonnes of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous heap of waste tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a prior investigation which revealed the presence of more than 500 unlawful sites in England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency stated that the arrests were for ecological and money laundering crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been let go on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is believed to house about 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of rubbish is consists of what seems to be treated residential waste, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and various household articles.

It represents just a single of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at least 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger dumps is probably to be higher, as the environment authority has earlier stated it does not possess data on volume for all unlawful site.

A large proportion of these sites are in agricultural areas, typically hidden, and on land that should be arable ground.

Organised Operations

Authorities report many are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by charging significantly less than lawful firms to receive and bury garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the volume and category of waste they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Preparatory efforts to clean up the Kidlington location began in recent weeks following worries over the potential of fire and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A private waste removal contractor has been given the job to deal with the area over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the national environmental crime unit stated that the authority would be looking to recoup the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from any party ultimately convicted at the termination of its current inquiry.

She noted that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and enable officials to "pursue more leads to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful tip at this location was an appalling and deliberate affront on our environment and officials empathize with the local outrage at this egregious offence," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the actions, commenting: "The illegal dumping of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has led to substantial damage to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding community.

"Our administration is committed to eradicating this type of crime throughout the UK, by increasing financing to tackle waste crime, recruiting more staff and implementing stricter checks and penalties for those who break the rules."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated organised crime squad and come after an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in November. He was let go awaiting more investigations.