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A pair of individuals have been arrested as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the huge mound of garbage deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a recent report which revealed the existence of in excess of 500 illegal dumps throughout the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory body stated that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and were a "vital step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in near Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34, is thought to house around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of garbage is consists of what seems to be sorted domestic refuse, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, automobile tires and assorted household objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 illegal tips throughout England, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total amount of such major dumps is probably to be higher, as the environmental body has in the past acknowledged it does not possess data on volume for every unlawful site.

A large proportion of such locations are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Organized Operations

Authorities report numerous are run by criminal organizations, who are generating profit by asking for much less than legitimate companies to receive and landfill rubbish.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, based on the quantity and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Outrage

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington area site began earlier this month amid fears over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A commercial waste removal firm has been given the job to handle the location over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the government regulatory team stated that the authority would be looking to claim back the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime acts from any party convicted at the conclusion of its ongoing case.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and enable officials to "investigate more avenues to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an appalling and intentional attack on our environment and we share the public's outrage at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A government representative welcomed the actions, stating: "This unlawful tipping of rubbish at the site is appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the ecology and upset to the local community.

"Our government is committed to eliminating this kind of crime across the nation, by augmenting financing to address waste crime, recruiting more personnel and enacting tougher measures and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were made on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated organised crime team and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in November. He was let go awaiting further enquiries.