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A pair of individuals have been arrested as part of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the huge pile of rubbish deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions follow a previous report which exposed the operation of over 500 unlawful tips across the country of England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory body commented that the arrests were for environment-related and financial offences and were a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain approximately 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what seems to be sorted household waste, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted everyday items.

It is just one of 517 unlawful dumps throughout the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall number of such larger sites is likely to be higher, as the environmental authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold records on volume for every unlawful tip.

Most these sites are in agricultural locations, often out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Organised Activity

Law enforcement report a significant number are run by criminal organizations, who are making money by charging much less than licensed firms to receive and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to incur site fees to use licensed disposal sites, contingent on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Initial operations to clean up the Kidlington location commenced earlier this month due to fears over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby A-road.

A private waste removal company has been given the job to handle the area over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's regulatory unit stated that the body would be aiming to recoup the clean-up expenses under confiscation acts from any party ultimately prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that this week's arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"The illegal tip at this location was an appalling and intentional assault on our ecology and we understand the community's anger at this horrific crime," she stated.

A cabinet representative praised the actions, adding: "The unlawful tipping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has caused significant damage to the natural world and upset to the local residents.

"The government is dedicated to eradicating this type of criminality across the nation, by augmenting funds to address waste crime, employing more staff and implementing tougher controls and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional crime squad and follow an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in last November. He was released subject to additional investigations.