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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous pile of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These arrests follow a recent investigation which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 unlawful sites throughout England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities said that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "key step" in ongoing investigations. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to hold around 21,000 tonnes of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what appears to be processed residential rubbish, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted everyday articles.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful sites in England, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such bigger locations is likely to be greater, as the environmental agency has earlier acknowledged it does not possess data on tonnage for each unlawful tip.

Most these sites are in agricultural areas, frequently concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement say a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are generating money by asking for far less than legitimate companies to accept and bury garbage.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the volume and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Preparatory work to clear the affected location commenced earlier this month amid fears over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

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

An enforcement official for the country's environmental crime unit stated that the body would be seeking to recoup the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime acts from any party convicted at the conclusion of its ongoing case.

She further stated that this week's arrests would help "move the probe forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more avenues to ascertain precisely what happened and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful dump at this location was an appalling and intentional attack on our ecology and officials understand the public's outrage at this egregious crime," she stated.

A government minister praised the actions, commenting: "The illegal dumping of garbage at Kidlington is appalling and has caused considerable damage to the natural world and upset to the surrounding population.

"The government is committed to stamping out this type of crime in the nation, by augmenting resources to combat environmental crime, recruiting more personnel and implementing stricter measures and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime squad and come after an prior detention of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was set free pending more enquiries.