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A pair of individuals have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the huge heap of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions come after a recent report which revealed the existence of over 500 illegal dumps in England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environmental body said that the apprehensions were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and were a "vital step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to hold approximately 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of waste is composed of what appears to be processed household waste, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household items.

It is just one example of 517 unauthorized sites throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of waste. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total number of such major sites is expected to be higher, as the regulatory body has previously indicated it does not possess information on tonnage for all unlawful tip.

The majority sites are in rural locations, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be farm property.

Organised Operations

Police report a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making money by charging significantly less than licensed operators to accept and landfill garbage.

Companies have to pay site fees to use legitimate disposal sites, contingent on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Outrage

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington location commenced earlier this month following fears over the risk of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been given the task to handle the area over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national environment unit commented that the body would be seeking to claim back the clean-up funds under confiscation acts from any party ultimately convicted at the end of its current case.

She further stated that the recent detentions would help "move the probe forward" and enable the agency to "pursue more leads to understand in detail what happened and who was involved".

"The unlawful tip at the site was an shocking and calculated affront on our ecology and we share the local frustration at this egregious offence," she said.

A cabinet representative supported the actions, commenting: "This illegal tipping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has caused significant harm to the ecology and distress to the local population.

"Our authorities is pledged to eliminating this category of crime across the UK, by increasing funds to address waste crime, employing more officers and implementing tougher checks and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a dedicated organised crime unit and are in addition to an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting further investigations.