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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous pile of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a previous investigation which exposed the operation of more than 500 illegal tips in the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environment body stated that the arrests were for ecological and financial crimes and were a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to house about 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what looks to be sorted domestic refuse, shredded plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and other everyday articles.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps throughout the country, at least 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual number of such bigger sites is probably to be higher, as the environment authority has in the past acknowledged it does not hold information on volume for all unlawful tip.

Most such locations are in rural areas, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Organized Operations

Law enforcement state numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning money by charging much less than licensed firms to receive and bury garbage.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the amount and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Outrage

Initial operations to remove the Kidlington dump started earlier this month due to worries over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted waste removal company has been given the contract to remediate the location over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the government regulatory team commented that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up expenses under asset recovery laws from any party successfully found guilty at the end of its current inquiry.

She further stated that these arrests would help "push the investigation forward" and permit officials to "investigate more avenues to ascertain precisely what happened and who was involved".

"This unauthorized site at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the community's frustration at this horrific crime," she stated.

A senior representative praised the actions, stating: "The illegal deposit of waste at the site is appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the natural world and distress to the surrounding residents.

"The administration is dedicated to eradicating this kind of illegal activity throughout the country, by augmenting financing to tackle environmental crime, employing more personnel and implementing stricter controls and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The detentions were made on the specified day by agents from a specialist crime unit and come after an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was let go subject to additional inquiries.