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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the illegal deposit of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in connection with the massive mound of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests come after a previous revelation which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 illegal dumps throughout England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory authorities stated that the apprehensions were for ecological and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "vital step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to hold about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is composed of what appears to be sorted household rubbish, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various household items.

It constitutes just a single of 517 illegal dumps across England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual number of such major sites is likely to be higher, as the environment agency has in the past acknowledged it does not hold records on volume for each unlawful tip.

A large proportion of sites are in countryside areas, often out of sight, and on land that is intended to be arable ground.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement report many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by asking for significantly less than legitimate firms to take and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the amount and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Anger

Preparation efforts to clean up the affected site commenced in recent weeks following fears over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted clean-up firm has been given the contract to deal with the site over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government regulatory team commented that the body would be seeking to recover the clean-up expenses under asset recovery laws from any party prosecuted at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She further stated that these detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more leads to determine in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"This illegal tip at the site was an appalling and calculated attack on our environment and we share the public's frustration at this horrific offence," she said.

A government representative praised the detentions, stating: "The unauthorized tipping of waste at the site is disgraceful and has led to substantial detriment to the natural world and distress to the nearby residents.

"The administration is dedicated to eradicating this category of illegal activity in the nation, by augmenting financing to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and implementing tougher checks and penalties for those who break the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional organised crime team and come after an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in last November. He was released awaiting additional enquiries.