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Two individuals have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in connection with the enormous pile of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a previous investigation which revealed the presence of more than 500 unlawful dumps in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory body stated that the arrests were for ecological and money laundering violations and constituted a "key step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is believed to contain around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what seems to be processed residential refuse, chopped up plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted domestic items.

It represents just one of 517 illegal sites in the country, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total number of such major locations is likely to be higher, as the environmental body has in the past acknowledged it does not possess records on tonnage for every illegal tip.

The majority such locations are in countryside areas, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm property.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement say many are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning money by demanding significantly less than lawful companies to receive and bury rubbish.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the volume and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Preparatory operations to remove the Kidlington dump started earlier this month due to concerns over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby major road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been awarded the task to handle the location over the coming 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the government environmental crime unit commented that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clearance funds under confiscation laws from any individual convicted at the conclusion of its active inquiry.

She further stated that the recent apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what happened and who was implicated".

"This unlawful dump at the site was an atrocious and calculated attack on our environment and we understand the local anger at this terrible act," she stated.

A government official supported the actions, commenting: "This illegal tipping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has led to significant damage to the environment and anguish to the nearby residents.

"Our administration is dedicated to eliminating this type of illegal activity throughout the nation, by boosting financing to tackle waste crime, recruiting more staff and introducing tougher controls and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were made on the specified day by officers from a specialist crime squad and come after an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in last November. He was released awaiting further investigations.