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Two men have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in relation with the massive mound of rubbish deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions follow a recent report which revealed the operation of over 500 unlawful sites throughout England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environmental body commented that the arrests were for environment-related and financial crimes and were a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to house approximately 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is composed of what seems to be treated domestic refuse, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, automobile tires and other everyday items.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful sites in England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall figure of such bigger locations is probably to be higher, as the environment body has earlier acknowledged it does not maintain data on tonnage for all unlawful site.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Organized Enterprise

Authorities report many are operated by criminal organizations, who are making profit by demanding much less than lawful firms to receive and bury rubbish.

Firms have to be liable for site fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the volume and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Anger

Initial work to remove the Kidlington site began earlier this month due to worries over the risk of combustion and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A contracted waste clearance company has been awarded the contract to remediate the site over the coming 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government regulatory unit said that the agency would be looking to claim back the clearance funds under asset recovery legislation from any individual ultimately found guilty at the end of its active case.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "investigate more leads to understand in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"The unlawful dump at this location was an shocking and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the public's anger at this horrific crime," she stated.

A government representative welcomed the detentions, commenting: "This unlawful deposit of rubbish at the site is appalling and has resulted in significant detriment to the ecology and distress to the surrounding population.

"The government is committed to eliminating this kind of crime across the nation, by augmenting funds to combat environmental crime, recruiting more staff and enacting more severe measures and sanctions for those who break the rules."

The arrests were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional organised crime squad and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was let go pending further investigations.