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A pair of individuals have been arrested as part of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in connection with the enormous heap of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a prior investigation which exposed the existence of over 500 unlawful dumps in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body said that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in active inquiries. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to contain about 21,000 tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is consists of what appears to be sorted household rubbish, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted domestic items.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall number of such bigger locations is expected to be greater, as the environment agency has earlier acknowledged it does not hold records on volume for each unlawful dump.

A large proportion of these sites are in countryside locations, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Organized Enterprise

Authorities say a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are earning profit by demanding much less than licensed firms to accept and landfill rubbish.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Preparation work to clear the affected location started earlier this month amid worries over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the task to remediate the location over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national environmental crime division said that the agency would be seeking to claim back the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime laws from any individual found guilty at the termination of its current case.

She further stated that this week's detentions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This illegal tip at the site was an shocking and intentional attack on our environment and we empathize with the local outrage at this egregious offence," she remarked.

A senior official welcomed the actions, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has led to considerable detriment to the environment and distress to the local residents.

"The authorities is pledged to eliminating this kind of criminality across the country, by increasing resources to combat illegal dumping, employing more staff and implementing tougher checks and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional serious crime team and follow an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free subject to more inquiries.