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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive heap of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests follow a previous report which uncovered the existence of more than 500 unlawful tips throughout England, featuring at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environment authorities commented that the apprehensions were for environmental and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. The two individuals have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold about 21,000 tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is made up of what appears to be treated household waste, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tires and assorted household articles.

It constitutes just a single of 517 illegal sites in England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of waste. They feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual figure of such larger dumps is expected to be greater, as the environmental body has earlier acknowledged it does not possess records on volume for each illegal dump.

The majority sites are in rural areas, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Organized Activity

Law enforcement report many are run by criminal organizations, who are generating money by charging much less than lawful companies to take and bury garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Outrage

Initial operations to clear the Kidlington site started recently due to worries over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted clean-up firm has been awarded the contract to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environmental crime unit said that the agency would be looking to claim back the clearance expenses under asset recovery legislation from any party prosecuted at the end of its ongoing case.

She added that the recent arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what happened and who was a party to it".

"The illegal tip at the site was an shocking and deliberate attack on our environment and we understand the local frustration at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A government official supported the arrests, stating: "This unauthorized tipping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has led to considerable damage to the natural world and anguish to the nearby community.

"The authorities is pledged to eradicating this kind of criminality in the UK, by increasing funds to combat illegal dumping, employing more personnel and implementing tougher controls and sanctions for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by personnel from a specialist organised crime squad and are in addition to an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was set free awaiting further enquiries.