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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous heap of waste dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous revelation which revealed the existence of over 500 illegal sites across England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environment agency commented that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering violations and were a "key step" in ongoing inquiries. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what seems to be sorted household refuse, chopped up plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and other household items.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps across England, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of garbage. These include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual number of such bigger locations is expected to be greater, as the environmental agency has earlier indicated it does not hold records on weight for all illegal site.

The majority sites are in countryside locations, frequently hidden, and on land that should be farm ground.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities say a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating money by demanding far less than licensed operators to accept and bury garbage.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use lawful disposal sites, depending on the volume and nature of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Preparatory work to clear the affected location started in recent weeks following fears over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial waste clearance company has been granted the contract to deal with the area over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the national environment division commented that the body would be looking to recover the clearance funds under confiscation acts from anyone ultimately found guilty at the conclusion of its ongoing inquiry.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and allow officials to "investigate more avenues to determine in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized site at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our ecology and the authorities share the local outrage at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A cabinet minister supported the actions, adding: "The illegal deposit of garbage at this location is appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the environment and upset to the nearby population.

"The authorities is dedicated to eliminating this type of crime throughout the nation, by increasing resources to address illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and introducing more severe controls and penalties for those who break the regulations."

The detentions were made on the specified day by officers from a specialist serious crime team and are in addition to an prior detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was let go subject to more enquiries.