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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of refuse in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the huge heap of waste dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions come after a prior revelation which uncovered the existence of more than 500 unlawful tips throughout England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environment body commented that the apprehensions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing inquiries. The two individuals have been released on bail.

Size of the Issue

The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to contain around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of garbage is consists of what looks to be processed domestic waste, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and other domestic articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 illegal sites throughout England, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual number of such major sites is probably to be higher, as the environment authority has earlier indicated it does not possess information on weight for each illegal dump.

A large proportion of such locations are in agricultural locations, frequently concealed, and on land that is intended to be arable ground.

Criminal Operations

Police state a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by asking for much less than licensed firms to receive and landfill waste.

Businesses have to incur disposal fees to use licensed disposal sites, contingent on the volume and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory efforts to clear the affected location began recently following worries over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been given the contract to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national environment team said that the body would be looking to claim back the remediation funds under confiscation laws from anyone found guilty at the conclusion of its active investigation.

She noted that these detentions would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"The illegal dump at Kidlington was an shocking and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and officials understand the local frustration at this terrible crime," she said.

A cabinet official supported the arrests, stating: "The unlawful tipping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has led to substantial damage to the natural world and distress to the local residents.

"Our administration is committed to stamping out this type of criminality throughout the nation, by augmenting financing to tackle waste crime, recruiting more personnel and enacting stricter measures and penalties for those who flout the law."

The arrests were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a dedicated organised crime unit and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in last November. He was set free pending more inquiries.