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

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in association with the huge mound of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions follow a previous revelation which exposed the presence of in excess of 500 illegal dumps across England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environment body stated that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "key step" in active investigations. Both men have been let go on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is estimated to contain approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is composed of what looks to be treated household waste, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tires and various household objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful tips across England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual number of such larger dumps is probably to be higher, as the environment agency has earlier acknowledged it does not possess records on tonnage for each illegal site.

Most sites are in rural locations, typically hidden, and on land that is intended to be arable land.

Organised Enterprise

Police say a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by charging significantly less than lawful operators to receive and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use lawful landfill sites, contingent on the amount and nature of refuse they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Preparation work to clear the affected dump commenced earlier this month due to concerns over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been granted the task to deal with the location over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the national regulatory division stated that the body would be aiming to recoup the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime laws from any individual ultimately found guilty at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that this week's arrests would help "move the probe forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an appalling and intentional attack on our environment and the authorities understand the local outrage at this terrible crime," she said.

A cabinet minister supported the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized deposit of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial detriment to the natural world and distress to the local residents.

"The administration is committed to stamping out this kind of illegal activity in the nation, by augmenting financing to tackle illegal dumping, hiring more officers and implementing stricter measures and penalties for those who violate the law."

The detentions were executed on the specified day by officers from a regional crime squad and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was released pending more investigations.