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A pair of individuals have been arrested as part of an investigation into the dumping of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the huge mound of waste tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a recent revelation which revealed the operation of over 500 unlawful dumps across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental authorities commented that the apprehensions were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of garbage is made up of what looks to be processed household waste, fragmented plastics, polystyrene, tyres and assorted domestic articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tons of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total number of such larger locations is expected to be larger, as the environment authority has earlier acknowledged it does not maintain data on volume for every unlawful dump.

The majority such locations are in countryside locations, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Organised Enterprise

Law enforcement say many are managed by criminal organizations, who are making cash by asking for far less than legitimate operators to receive and dispose of garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the quantity and type of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Frustration

Preparation operations to clean up the Kidlington area location began in recent weeks following worries over the risk of fire and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A private waste clearance company has been granted the job to deal with the site over the following 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the country's regulatory team commented that the agency would be seeking to recover the remediation funds under proceeds of crime acts from any party found guilty at the end of its active case.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "move the probe forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more avenues to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful site at the site was an appalling and intentional affront on our environment and we empathize with the local frustration at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A cabinet representative welcomed the detentions, adding: "This unlawful deposit of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in substantial detriment to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding population.

"The government is dedicated to stamping out this kind of criminality in the nation, by boosting resources to combat illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and enacting tougher checks and sanctions for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a specialist serious crime squad and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was let go pending further enquiries.