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Two men have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in association with the massive pile of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions follow a previous investigation which exposed the operation of over 500 unauthorized tips across the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory agency commented that the arrests were for environmental and proceeds of crime offences and were a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to hold around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is made up of what looks to be sorted residential refuse, chopped up plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and various household items.

It constitutes just a single of 517 illegal tips in England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total figure of such bigger dumps is expected to be greater, as the regulatory authority has previously stated it does not hold information on volume for each unlawful tip.

Most such locations are in countryside locations, often hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Criminal Operations

Law enforcement say many are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by asking for significantly less than licensed operators to accept and bury garbage.

Companies have to incur site fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the amount and type of waste they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington location started recently due to worries over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A private waste removal firm has been awarded the job to handle the location over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the national regulatory team said that the authority would be looking to recoup the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from any party ultimately found guilty at the termination of its ongoing case.

She further stated that these arrests would help "push the probe forward" and permit officials to "pursue more leads to determine precisely what happened and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized tip at this location was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the community's anger at this terrible crime," she said.

A government minister praised the detentions, commenting: "This unlawful dumping of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in considerable harm to the ecology and distress to the local population.

"The administration is pledged to eradicating this kind of criminality in the UK, by augmenting financing to tackle illegal dumping, employing more staff and implementing stricter measures and penalties for those who flout the law."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by agents from a regional crime team and are in addition to an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was let go pending additional inquiries.