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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive heap of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a prior investigation which revealed the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips across England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory agency said that the apprehensions were for environmental and money laundering offences and were a "crucial step" in active probes. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to contain around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is made up of what looks to be sorted residential refuse, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and various household items.

It constitutes just one example of 517 illegal tips throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such major dumps is expected to be higher, as the environmental agency has earlier indicated it does not hold data on volume for every unauthorized dump.

The majority such locations are in countryside locations, often hidden, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Organised Operations

Police report a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are making profit by demanding significantly less than lawful operators to take and bury garbage.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington area site began earlier this month following fears over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted clean-up firm has been granted the contract to deal with the site over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the country's regulatory team stated that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up costs under confiscation laws from anyone successfully convicted at the termination of its current investigation.

She added that these apprehensions would help "move the probe forward" and permit the agency to "follow more leads to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was implicated".

"This unlawful tip at this location was an appalling and intentional assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the community's outrage at this egregious act," she stated.

A cabinet representative welcomed the arrests, commenting: "The unlawful dumping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has led to significant detriment to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding population.

"Our administration is dedicated to stamping out this type of illegal activity in the country, by boosting resources to tackle waste crime, employing more officers and implementing tougher controls and fines for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by agents from a specialist organised crime unit and follow an prior apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free pending more inquiries.