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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an investigation into the dumping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough, Berkshire in association with the huge heap of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a recent revelation which revealed the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps in England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities commented that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "vital step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of waste is made up of what seems to be sorted residential rubbish, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tyres and other domestic articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unlawful sites across the country, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual figure of such major locations is expected to be larger, as the regulatory body has earlier acknowledged it does not maintain records on weight for all unlawful tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in agricultural locations, often out of sight, and on land that should be arable property.

Organised Enterprise

Police report a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by demanding significantly less than lawful firms to accept and bury garbage.

Businesses have to incur disposal fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and category of material they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Preparation operations to remove the affected location began earlier this month due to concerns over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste clearance firm has been granted the job to remediate the area over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national regulatory unit stated that the agency would be aiming to claim back the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime legislation from any party ultimately found guilty at the conclusion of its active case.

She added that the recent detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized tip at the site was an shocking and calculated attack on our environment and officials empathize with the public's frustration at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A senior representative welcomed the detentions, adding: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial damage to the ecology and distress to the local population.

"Our administration is committed to eliminating this category of illegal activity across the UK, by increasing resources to tackle environmental crime, employing more staff and introducing stricter measures and fines for those who flout the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a regional serious crime team and follow an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was set free subject to further inquiries.