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Two men have been arrested as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in connection with the huge mound of garbage tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous investigation which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 illegal dumps throughout the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory agency commented that the arrests were for environment-related and financial offences and constituted a "key step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Problem

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

This heap of rubbish is consists of what seems to be processed residential waste, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted domestic articles.

It is just a single of 517 illegal sites in England, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total amount of such larger dumps is likely to be larger, as the environmental authority has in the past acknowledged it does not hold information on tonnage for each unlawful tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be farm ground.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement say numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by asking for much less than lawful operators to receive and landfill waste.

Firms have to incur gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the amount and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Anger

Preparation work to clear the Kidlington location commenced in recent weeks amid fears over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A private waste removal firm has been given the task to remediate the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environment division stated that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime laws from any party successfully prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She added that these arrests would help "push the probe forward" and permit officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This illegal site at this location was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our natural surroundings and we understand the public's frustration at this egregious crime," she stated.

A cabinet representative praised the detentions, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of rubbish at this location is disgraceful and has resulted in substantial detriment to the natural world and upset to the local population.

"The government is dedicated to eradicating this kind of illegal activity across the country, by boosting resources to combat environmental crime, employing more officers and introducing tougher measures and fines for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were made on Thursday by officers from a regional serious crime squad and follow an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free pending additional investigations.