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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the massive pile of rubbish deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a recent revelation which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips throughout England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency said that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial offences and were a "key step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Problem

The tipping ground in Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is made up of what appears to be processed residential refuse, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and other domestic objects.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized sites in the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual figure of such larger dumps is expected to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously acknowledged it does not hold data on tonnage for each unauthorized tip.

Most such locations are in rural areas, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Criminal Operations

Police state numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are making money by asking for significantly less than lawful operators to accept and landfill rubbish.

Companies have to pay disposal fees to use lawful landfill sites, contingent on the amount and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Anger

Preparation work to clean up the Kidlington dump began earlier this month amid fears over the threat of fire and the consequences that would have on the adjacent highway.

A private clean-up contractor has been granted the contract to deal with the location over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the government environmental crime division stated that the body would be seeking to claim back the clearance funds under confiscation acts from any party convicted at the end of its current case.

She noted that this week's arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more leads to understand exactly what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This illegal site at Kidlington was an shocking and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and officials share the public's frustration at this horrific act," she stated.

A senior representative praised the detentions, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of garbage at Kidlington is appalling and has caused significant damage to the natural world and upset to the nearby residents.

"The administration is dedicated to stamping out this category of criminality in the nation, by boosting financing to address illegal dumping, employing more staff and enacting more severe measures and fines for those who break the rules."

The detentions were made on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime team and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was let go awaiting more investigations.