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A pair of individuals have been detained as a component of an probe into the tipping of thousands of tons of rubbish in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the enormous pile of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a recent revelation which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps in the country of England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment authorities said that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial offences and were a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been let go on conditional release.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to hold about 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of garbage is composed of what seems to be processed residential refuse, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, automobile tires and assorted domestic articles.

It is just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps in the country, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such larger dumps is probably to be higher, as the environment body has previously indicated it does not possess information on tonnage for each illegal dump.

A large proportion of these sites are in countryside locations, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Criminal Activity

Police state many are run by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by demanding far less than lawful companies to accept and landfill waste.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, based on the amount and type of waste they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Anger

Preparation work to clean up the Kidlington area site started in recent weeks due to fears over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted clean-up company has been given the job to remediate the site over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's environment unit stated that the body would be looking to claim back the clean-up expenses under confiscation acts from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the conclusion of its current case.

She added that these arrests would help "push the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "follow more avenues to determine exactly what happened and who was involved".

"The unauthorized site at the site was an appalling and deliberate affront on our environment and we understand the local outrage at this terrible crime," she stated.

A senior official praised the detentions, stating: "The unlawful deposit of rubbish at this location is appalling and has led to substantial damage to the environment and distress to the nearby residents.

"Our administration is committed to eradicating this kind of crime in the UK, by boosting resources to address waste crime, hiring more officers and introducing stricter measures and sanctions for those who break the rules."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional crime unit and follow an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was set free subject to further inquiries.