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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of tonnes of refuse in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in relation with the enormous pile of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests occur a week after a recent report which exposed the existence of over 500 unauthorized dumps in England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory agency commented that the arrests were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and were a "vital step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Scale of the Problem

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

This mound of rubbish is composed of what seems to be processed residential rubbish, fragmented plastic items, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and various household items.

It is just one example of 517 unlawful sites in the country, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total amount of such larger dumps is expected to be larger, as the environment authority has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain information on volume for all unlawful tip.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Organised Enterprise

Law enforcement say a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making money by charging much less than licensed operators to receive and dispose of waste.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Outrage

Preparatory efforts to remove the Kidlington dump commenced recently due to worries over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby major road.

A contracted clean-up company has been given the contract to deal with the area over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the government environment team stated that the agency would be looking to claim back the clearance funds under asset recovery acts from anyone ultimately convicted at the termination of its ongoing inquiry.

She further stated that this week's arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine exactly what happened and who was a party to it".

"The illegal tip at the site was an atrocious and calculated attack on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the community's frustration at this egregious act," she stated.

A cabinet representative praised the actions, adding: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused considerable harm to the ecology and distress to the local residents.

"The government is pledged to eradicating this category of crime in the nation, by augmenting resources to address illegal dumping, employing more staff and implementing more severe checks and fines for those who break the rules."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional serious crime team and are in addition to an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was set free subject to further investigations.