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A pair of individuals have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in relation with the huge pile of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous report which uncovered the operation of more than 500 illegal tips across England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body said that the arrests were for ecological and financial violations and were a "vital step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to house about 21,000 tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what appears to be sorted household rubbish, chopped up plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted household objects.

It is just a single of 517 illegal dumps in England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall amount of such larger sites is probably to be larger, as the environmental body has earlier acknowledged it does not hold records on volume for every unauthorized tip.

Most these sites are in rural areas, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be farm property.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement say numerous are managed by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by demanding far less than licensed operators to receive and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Outrage

Preparatory efforts to remove the Kidlington area dump commenced in recent weeks amid worries over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A private clean-up contractor has been granted the job to handle the location over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the national environment unit stated that the authority would be looking to recover the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime acts from any individual found guilty at the end of its active case.

She added that these detentions would help "move the inquiry forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more avenues to determine exactly what transpired and who was implicated".

"This unlawful tip at this location was an atrocious and calculated assault on our environment and the authorities understand the community's frustration at this horrific crime," she said.

A senior official supported the detentions, adding: "This illegal deposit of rubbish at this location is appalling and has resulted in considerable detriment to the ecology and anguish to the local residents.

"Our authorities is dedicated to stamping out this kind of crime across the nation, by boosting resources to address illegal dumping, employing more personnel and introducing tougher measures and fines for those who flout the law."

The arrests were made on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional crime team and follow an prior apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was let go awaiting additional inquiries.