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A pair of individuals have been detained as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tonnes of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in connection with the massive heap of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a previous revelation which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 illegal tips in England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental agency commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "key step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is consists of what seems to be sorted residential rubbish, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday articles.

It is just one of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total number of such major dumps is likely to be higher, as the regulatory body has in the past stated it does not possess information on weight for each unlawful dump.

A large proportion of such locations are in agricultural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Organised Enterprise

Law enforcement report many are run by organized crime groups, who are earning profit by demanding significantly less than legitimate firms to take and dispose of waste.

Companies have to pay disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the amount and nature of material they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Preparation operations to clean up the affected location started earlier this month following concerns over the risk of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.

A private waste removal contractor has been given the contract to remediate the site over the following 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's environmental crime unit said that the authority would be looking to recoup the remediation funds under proceeds of crime legislation from anyone successfully convicted at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more avenues to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was involved".

"The illegal tip at this location was an shocking and intentional assault on our ecology and the authorities share the community's outrage at this egregious offence," she said.

A government official supported the arrests, stating: "This unauthorized tipping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has caused substantial harm to the ecology and distress to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is dedicated to stamping out this kind of criminality across the country, by augmenting resources to combat environmental crime, employing more officers and implementing more severe controls and sanctions for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were made on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated crime team and are in addition to an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in November. He was released subject to further enquiries.