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Two individuals have been arrested as an element of an investigation into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons 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 taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive pile of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a recent report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips throughout England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory agency commented that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering offences and constituted a "key step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold about 21,000 tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is composed of what seems to be treated domestic waste, chopped up plastics, polystyrene, tyres and assorted household objects.

It is just one example of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. These include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall figure of such major sites is expected to be greater, as the regulatory body has previously indicated it does not maintain information on tonnage for each unlawful dump.

The majority such locations are in agricultural areas, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement state many are run by organized crime groups, who are making cash by demanding far less than legitimate firms to accept and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the volume and type of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Preparation efforts to remove the Kidlington location began in recent weeks due to concerns over the risk of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by A-road.

A commercial waste removal firm has been granted the task to handle the site over the coming 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environment team said that the agency would be looking to claim back the remediation costs under confiscation laws from any party successfully convicted at the end of its active inquiry.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more leads to understand exactly what transpired and who was implicated".

"The unlawful site at the site was an shocking and calculated affront on our environment and we empathize with the public's anger at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A cabinet official praised the detentions, adding: "This unlawful dumping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable harm to the natural world and upset to the surrounding community.

"The government is committed to eradicating this category of illegal activity across the UK, by augmenting resources to address environmental crime, hiring more personnel and introducing more severe measures and sanctions for those who flout the regulations."

The detentions were carried out on the specified day by agents from a dedicated serious crime team and follow an prior apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released pending additional inquiries.