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Two men have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the huge heap of waste dumped near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous investigation which revealed the presence of over 500 unlawful sites across England, including at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environmental agency commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial violations and were a "crucial step" in active investigations. Both men have been set free on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to house approximately 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of garbage is made up of what looks to be treated residential rubbish, shredded plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted everyday items.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized sites in England, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of garbage. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger sites is probably to be greater, as the environment authority has earlier stated it does not possess records on tonnage for every unlawful dump.

A large proportion of these sites are in agricultural settings, typically out of sight, and on land that should be farm ground.

Criminal Activity

Police say a significant number are managed by criminal organizations, who are earning profit by demanding significantly less than legitimate companies to receive and dispose of garbage.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, depending on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Initial efforts to remove the affected dump began recently amid fears over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by A-road.

A commercial clean-up firm has been awarded the job to handle the area over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the country's regulatory team commented that the agency would be aiming to recover the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from any party successfully convicted at the termination of its active case.

She noted that this week's detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "follow more avenues to understand precisely what happened and who was implicated".

"The illegal dump at the site was an atrocious and intentional affront on our environment and officials empathize with the public's anger at this egregious offence," she remarked.

A government minister supported the arrests, commenting: "The illegal dumping of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has led to substantial detriment to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding residents.

"Our government is dedicated to stamping out this type of crime across the nation, by increasing funds to address environmental crime, recruiting more officers and implementing tougher checks and sanctions for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on the specified day by agents from a specialist crime team and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was let go pending further inquiries.