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A pair of individuals have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tons of waste in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive pile of waste dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a prior report which exposed the operation of more than 500 illegal sites in England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environmental body commented that the detentions were for environment-related and financial offences and constituted a "key step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is composed of what looks to be sorted residential refuse, shredded plastic materials, Styrofoam, tires and assorted domestic items.

It is just one example of 517 illegal sites throughout the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such larger locations is probably to be larger, as the environment body has in the past indicated it does not possess information on tonnage for all unauthorized dump.

Most sites are in agricultural locations, often hidden, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Organized Activity

Police state numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating money by demanding significantly less than legitimate firms to take and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, based on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington location started recently amid fears over the risk of combustion and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been granted the job to remediate the site over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national regulatory unit stated that the agency would be looking to claim back the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime laws from anyone convicted at the end of its current case.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more avenues to understand in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized site at this location was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the public's outrage at this horrific act," she stated.

A senior representative praised the detentions, adding: "The unlawful deposit of waste at this location is disgraceful and has led to considerable harm to the ecology and upset to the local community.

"The authorities is dedicated to eradicating this category of criminality throughout the nation, by boosting funds to tackle illegal dumping, employing more officers and introducing stricter controls and sanctions for those who flout the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional organised crime team and follow an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was let go pending more investigations.