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Two individuals have been taken into custody as part of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the enormous heap of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous revelation which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 unlawful sites across England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environmental agency said that the arrests were for ecological and financial violations and constituted a "key step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is thought to hold about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of rubbish is made up of what seems to be sorted domestic waste, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tires and various domestic items.

It is just one of 517 unlawful tips across England, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall number of such larger locations is probably to be higher, as the environment authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold records on tonnage for each unauthorized dump.

Most such locations are in rural locations, often hidden, and on land that should be arable land.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities state many are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by asking for much less than legitimate companies to take and dispose of waste.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the volume and category of refuse they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Preparatory operations to clear the affected site began in recent weeks due to concerns over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been granted the job to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the national regulatory division said that the body would be seeking to recoup the remediation costs under asset recovery laws from anyone ultimately found guilty at the end of its ongoing investigation.

She further stated that this week's detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more leads to understand exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"The illegal dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the public's anger at this terrible crime," she stated.

A government minister praised the arrests, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has led to significant detriment to the ecology and upset to the nearby community.

"The government is committed to stamping out this type of criminality in the nation, by boosting resources to address illegal dumping, employing more officers and implementing stricter checks and fines for those who flout the law."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime unit and follow an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in last November. He was set free pending further inquiries.