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Two men have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in relation with the enormous heap of waste dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a recent investigation which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial crimes and represented a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Situation

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

This pile of waste is consists of what looks to be processed household rubbish, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tires and assorted everyday items.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal sites throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall figure of such larger dumps is probably to be higher, as the regulatory body has earlier acknowledged it does not possess data on tonnage for each unlawful site.

A large proportion of such locations are in rural settings, often concealed, and on land that should be arable ground.

Organised Activity

Police say a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are making money by asking for significantly less than licensed operators to receive and dispose of waste.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, contingent on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Outrage

Preparation operations to clear the affected location began recently amid fears over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been awarded the contract to remediate the location over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's regulatory unit commented that the agency would be looking to claim back the remediation costs under asset recovery acts from any individual convicted at the conclusion of its active case.

She further stated that these detentions would help "move the probe forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more leads to determine precisely what happened and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful tip at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our natural surroundings and we empathize with the public's anger at this terrible crime," she stated.

A government official welcomed the arrests, stating: "This unauthorized tipping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable detriment to the environment and distress to the surrounding population.

"The authorities is dedicated to stamping out this type of criminality throughout the UK, by augmenting financing to combat environmental crime, recruiting more staff and implementing stricter checks and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were made on the specified day by officers from a dedicated crime team and come after an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting additional investigations.