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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an probe into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the huge mound of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a previous report which exposed the presence of more than 500 unlawful tips across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory authorities stated that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime violations and were a "vital step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been released on bail.

Scale of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of garbage is composed of what appears to be processed residential rubbish, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and various household objects.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps in the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual number of such larger locations is likely to be greater, as the regulatory authority has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain information on volume for all unauthorized dump.

The majority these sites are in rural settings, typically out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural property.

Organized Operations

Law enforcement say numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding significantly less than legitimate companies to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to incur disposal fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the volume and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Initial efforts to remove the affected location began earlier this month due to fears over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial clean-up company has been awarded the job to remediate the location over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's environment team commented that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clean-up expenses under asset recovery legislation from anyone ultimately found guilty at the end of its active case.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"This unauthorized tip at this location was an atrocious and intentional affront on our environment and the authorities share the local anger at this terrible act," she remarked.

A government minister welcomed the detentions, commenting: "This unlawful tipping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has led to significant detriment to the environment and upset to the local population.

"The authorities is dedicated to stamping out this type of crime throughout the nation, by increasing financing to tackle waste crime, hiring more personnel and implementing stricter checks and penalties for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were made on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime unit and follow an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in last November. He was released subject to more enquiries.