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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tonnes of waste in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the huge heap of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a recent report which uncovered the existence of over 500 illegal dumps across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "key step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Magnitude of the Problem

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

This heap of waste is consists of what appears to be processed household rubbish, fragmented plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and other everyday items.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of garbage. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall figure of such major dumps is probably to be higher, as the environment body has earlier indicated it does not hold records on tonnage for all illegal dump.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural areas, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities state many are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating money by charging far less than legitimate firms to take and bury waste.

Companies have to pay site fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the quantity and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Initial operations to remove the Kidlington area dump started recently following concerns over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A commercial clean-up company has been awarded the task to deal with the area over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the government regulatory division stated that the agency would be looking to claim back the remediation funds under confiscation legislation from any individual ultimately convicted at the termination of its active case.

She further stated that this week's detentions would help "push the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more avenues to understand in detail what happened and who was involved".

"The unlawful dump at Kidlington was an shocking and calculated attack on our ecology and officials understand the public's frustration at this terrible crime," she stated.

A government minister welcomed the actions, adding: "This unlawful dumping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has caused considerable detriment to the natural world and anguish to the local community.

"The government is dedicated to stamping out this kind of crime across the country, by boosting resources to address illegal dumping, hiring more personnel and introducing stricter checks and fines for those who violate the law."

The arrests were made on the specified day by officers from a specialist crime squad and are in addition to an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in November. He was released awaiting more inquiries.