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Two men have been arrested as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous mound of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a recent revelation which exposed the operation of in excess of 500 illegal dumps throughout the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment body stated that the arrests were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been set free on conditional release.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is believed to contain about 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of waste is composed of what looks to be sorted household rubbish, fragmented plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted household items.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unlawful tips throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total number of such major locations is likely to be larger, as the regulatory authority has previously acknowledged it does not maintain data on weight for all unauthorized site.

The majority these sites are in countryside settings, typically concealed, and on land that should be farm ground.

Criminal Operations

Law enforcement say many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding far less than lawful companies to accept and bury waste.

Companies have to pay disposal fees to use lawful landfill sites, based on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Initial efforts to clear the Kidlington location started earlier this month due to fears over the risk of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A private waste clearance contractor has been granted the contract to handle the area over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national regulatory division commented that the authority would be seeking to claim back the clearance funds under asset recovery legislation from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the end of its current case.

She further stated that this week's arrests would help "move the probe forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more leads to ascertain exactly what happened and who was involved".

"The unauthorized site at this location was an shocking and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the local outrage at this egregious offence," she stated.

A senior representative praised the actions, adding: "The illegal tipping of garbage at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in considerable harm to the ecology and upset to the surrounding community.

"Our authorities is pledged to stamping out this category of crime across the nation, by increasing financing to address waste crime, hiring more personnel and introducing tougher measures and fines for those who flout the rules."

The arrests were carried out on the specified day by agents from a specialist organised crime team and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was let go pending further enquiries.