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A pair of individuals have been detained as an element of an investigation into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of waste in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous heap of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a previous revelation which revealed the presence of over 500 illegal dumps across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities said that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "crucial step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of garbage is made up of what looks to be sorted domestic waste, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted household items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized sites throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tons of garbage. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall figure of such major dumps is probably to be higher, as the regulatory agency has previously acknowledged it does not hold data on weight for every unlawful dump.

Most such locations are in agricultural settings, often hidden, and on land that should be arable property.

Criminal Operations

Police say numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by charging much less than lawful companies to receive and landfill garbage.

Companies have to be liable for disposal fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the volume and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington site commenced recently amid fears over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the nearby major road.

A commercial waste removal company has been given the contract to remediate the site over the next 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the country's regulatory team said that the authority would be aiming to recover the clearance costs under proceeds of crime laws from any party successfully found guilty at the termination of its ongoing inquiry.

She noted that these arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what happened and who was involved".

"The unauthorized tip at the site was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our environment and the authorities empathize with the community's outrage at this egregious act," she remarked.

A government representative supported the detentions, adding: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has caused significant harm to the natural world and distress to the surrounding population.

"The authorities is committed to stamping out this kind of crime in the nation, by increasing resources to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more staff and enacting more severe controls and penalties for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by personnel from a specialist crime squad and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was set free pending further enquiries.