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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tonnes of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in relation with the enormous pile of rubbish deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a prior revelation which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 illegal dumps across England, including at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory body said that the arrests were for ecological and proceeds of crime offences and were a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is believed to contain about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is consists of what appears to be sorted household waste, fragmented plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted household objects.

It is just one of 517 illegal sites in the country, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall number of such larger sites is likely to be higher, as the environmental authority has in the past stated it does not hold data on volume for each unauthorized tip.

The majority these sites are in countryside locations, typically hidden, and on land that is intended to be farm land.

Organised Operations

Police report numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are earning cash by charging much less than licensed companies to take and bury garbage.

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

Public Outrage

Initial efforts to remove the affected dump began recently due to worries over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private clean-up contractor has been granted the contract to deal with the area over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's regulatory team stated that the agency would be aiming to recoup the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from any party found guilty at the conclusion of its active investigation.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more avenues to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal dump at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated assault on our environment and officials share the community's anger at this terrible offence," she stated.

A government official praised the actions, adding: "This unauthorized dumping of garbage at this location is appalling and has caused considerable harm to the natural world and upset to the local residents.

"Our authorities is committed to eliminating this category of crime in the nation, by increasing resources to address waste crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing more severe checks and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated organised crime team and follow an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in November. He was released pending additional enquiries.