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A pair of individuals have been detained as an element of an investigation into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in connection with the huge heap of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests occur a week after a previous report which uncovered the existence of over 500 illegal tips across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environment agency stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to hold around 21,000 tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is made up of what seems to be processed household rubbish, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted household objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful sites across England, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. They feature 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 overall amount of such bigger sites is likely to be greater, as the environmental agency has earlier stated it does not hold data on tonnage for every illegal dump.

The majority such locations are in agricultural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement say a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making money by asking for significantly less than legitimate operators to accept and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to incur site fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Preparation operations to clean up the Kidlington dump commenced recently following fears over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted waste removal firm has been awarded the task to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the government environment team stated that the agency would be looking to recover the remediation funds under proceeds of crime laws from any party prosecuted at the termination of its active inquiry.

She noted that the recent apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was involved".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an appalling and intentional attack on our environment and we share the local frustration at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A government official praised the detentions, commenting: "The unlawful dumping of waste at the site is disgraceful and has led to significant damage to the ecology and anguish to the local residents.

"The government is pledged to stamping out this kind of illegal activity in the country, by boosting financing to address environmental crime, employing more officers and enacting tougher measures and sanctions for those who break the rules."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by agents from a dedicated organised crime team and are in addition to an previous arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in November. He was let go awaiting further investigations.