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A pair of individuals have been detained as an element of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in association with the huge pile of rubbish tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions come after a recent report which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips across England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory agency said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and money laundering violations and constituted a "vital step" in continuing probes. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to contain approximately 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is composed of what looks to be processed household waste, fragmented plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and other domestic objects.

It is just a single of 517 illegal dumps in England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total amount of such larger dumps is probably to be larger, as the regulatory authority has earlier indicated it does not maintain records on volume for all unlawful site.

The majority sites are in countryside areas, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Organised Activity

Authorities report a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are making cash by charging significantly less than licensed operators to accept and dispose of waste.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the volume and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Initial operations to clean up the Kidlington area site started in recent weeks due to worries over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste clearance firm has been granted the task to handle the area over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the government regulatory division commented that the body would be seeking to recoup the remediation costs under asset recovery laws from any party successfully convicted at the conclusion of its current case.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "pursue more leads to understand exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"This unlawful tip at the site was an shocking and calculated assault on our environment and officials understand the local frustration at this egregious crime," she said.

A government representative welcomed the actions, commenting: "This illegal tipping of waste at the site is disgraceful and has caused considerable damage to the ecology and distress to the local population.

"The government is pledged to stamping out this category of crime in the country, by increasing financing to address waste crime, hiring more officers and enacting stricter measures and penalties for those who break the law."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by officers from a dedicated crime team and are in addition to an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was set free awaiting more investigations.