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Two individuals have been arrested as an element of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tonnes of waste in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in association with the enormous heap of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a previous investigation which revealed the presence of more than 500 unlawful tips in the country of England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environment agency said that the detentions were for environmental and financial violations and were a "crucial step" in ongoing investigations. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to house around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is consists of what appears to be treated household waste, shredded plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and various household items.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such major sites is expected to be greater, as the environment authority has previously indicated it does not maintain data on volume for each unauthorized dump.

The majority these sites are in agricultural areas, often out of sight, and on land that should be arable ground.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement report numerous are run by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by demanding much less than licensed companies to accept and dispose of rubbish.

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

Public Anger

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington area dump started earlier this month amid concerns over the threat of blaze and the impact that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been given the job to handle the location over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the country's environment team said that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clearance funds under asset recovery legislation from any individual ultimately found guilty at the end of its active investigation.

She further stated that the recent detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more leads to understand in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unlawful dump at the site was an atrocious and intentional affront on our ecology and officials understand the public's outrage at this terrible crime," she stated.

A senior official welcomed the detentions, stating: "The unauthorized deposit of garbage at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable harm to the environment and distress to the local population.

"The administration is pledged to stamping out this category of illegal activity in the nation, by augmenting resources to address waste crime, hiring more officers and introducing stricter checks and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by officers from a regional serious crime team and come after an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was let go subject to further enquiries.