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A pair of individuals have been arrested as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in the town of Slough in association with the massive heap of garbage tipped near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a previous investigation which uncovered the operation of over 500 unauthorized dumps throughout England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment agency said that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering violations and represented a "crucial step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to contain around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is composed of what looks to be treated domestic refuse, fragmented plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various everyday items.

It constitutes just a single of 517 illegal tips in England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total number of such major dumps is expected to be larger, as the environment agency has previously stated it does not hold records on weight for each illegal site.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural areas, often hidden, and on land that is intended to be arable land.

Criminal Operations

Police say many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by demanding significantly less than legitimate operators to accept and dispose of garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the amount and nature of material they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Outrage

Preparatory operations to remove the Kidlington dump began earlier this month following concerns over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A private waste clearance company has been granted the contract to handle the location over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's environment team stated that the authority would be seeking to claim back the clean-up funds under confiscation laws from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the end of its ongoing case.

She further stated that these arrests would help "move the probe forward" and permit authorities to "follow more avenues to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was involved".

"The unlawful site at Kidlington was an shocking and calculated assault on our ecology and we empathize with the public's frustration at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A government official supported the detentions, commenting: "The illegal tipping of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused substantial detriment to the environment and distress to the surrounding community.

"Our authorities is dedicated to stamping out this type of crime in the UK, by increasing financing to address waste crime, recruiting more staff and enacting stricter checks and fines for those who flout the law."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by agents from a regional organised crime unit and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in November. He was released awaiting additional inquiries.