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Two men have been detained as part of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in association with the enormous pile of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a recent investigation which revealed the operation of over 500 unlawful tips in England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment agency commented that the arrests were for environment-related and financial violations and were a "crucial step" in active probes. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to house about 21,000 tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is made up of what looks to be treated residential rubbish, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, automobile tires and assorted domestic objects.

It represents just a single of 517 unauthorized sites throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger sites is expected to be higher, as the regulatory body has in the past stated it does not hold data on weight for every illegal dump.

Most such locations are in agricultural settings, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Criminal Activity

Authorities say a significant number are run by criminal organizations, who are making money by asking for far less than licensed operators to accept and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the amount and category of waste they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Frustration

Preparation work to clean up the Kidlington dump began recently following fears over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private waste clearance firm has been given the job to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environmental crime unit commented that the body would be aiming to recoup the remediation expenses under confiscation laws from any individual successfully found guilty at the end of its current investigation.

She added that the recent arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more avenues to ascertain exactly what happened and who was involved".

"The unlawful tip at this location was an appalling and deliberate affront on our ecology and we empathize with the local frustration at this horrific offence," she stated.

A senior official supported the actions, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the natural world and distress to the surrounding population.

"Our authorities is pledged to stamping out this type of criminality across the country, by increasing resources to tackle waste crime, hiring more officers and enacting more severe measures and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by officers from a specialist serious crime unit and come after an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was set free awaiting further inquiries.