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A pair of individuals have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in connection with the massive heap of rubbish tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a previous investigation which revealed the existence of more than 500 unlawful tips in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environmental body commented that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial violations and represented a "key step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to contain about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is consists of what looks to be processed residential rubbish, chopped up plastics, Styrofoam, tires and other domestic objects.

It represents just one of 517 illegal dumps throughout England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total amount of such major sites is probably to be higher, as the regulatory authority has earlier stated it does not maintain information on weight for every illegal site.

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

Organised Operations

Police report many are run by organized crime groups, who are generating money by demanding much less than legitimate operators to receive and bury waste.

Firms have to incur site fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the amount and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Outrage

Initial work to remove the Kidlington dump began recently amid worries over the risk of fire and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.

A private waste clearance firm has been given the contract to remediate the location over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the government regulatory division said that the body would be aiming to recover the clearance costs under proceeds of crime acts from anyone convicted at the termination of its active investigation.

She added that these apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized site at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our ecology and the authorities share the public's anger at this terrible offence," she said.

A government minister praised the detentions, stating: "This illegal dumping of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in considerable detriment to the ecology and distress to the surrounding population.

"The government is pledged to eradicating this category of illegal activity in the UK, by augmenting funds to combat waste crime, employing more staff and introducing tougher controls and penalties for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a specialist organised crime squad and come after an prior arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford region in November. He was released subject to further investigations.