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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the tipping of many thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the enormous heap of garbage tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior revelation which uncovered the operation of more than 500 illegal sites throughout England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environmental body stated that the arrests were for ecological and financial offences and were a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold about 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what appears to be processed residential refuse, shredded plastic materials, polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted domestic articles.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such major locations is expected to be greater, as the environmental body has in the past indicated it does not maintain records on weight for each unlawful dump.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural areas, often hidden, and on land that is intended to be farm property.

Organised Activity

Authorities report a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are earning profit by demanding far less than legitimate operators to accept and landfill waste.

Companies have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate waste facilities, depending on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Initial work to clear the Kidlington area location started earlier this month due to worries over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted waste clearance company has been given the task to deal with the area over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the country's environmental crime team commented that the agency would be seeking to recover the clean-up funds under confiscation legislation from anyone successfully found guilty at the end of its ongoing case.

She added that the recent arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more leads to determine precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unlawful site at Kidlington was an atrocious and intentional assault on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the public's anger at this horrific act," she remarked.

A cabinet representative supported the actions, adding: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has led to significant damage to the environment and distress to the local residents.

"Our administration is committed to stamping out this category of criminality in the country, by augmenting financing to address waste crime, recruiting more staff and introducing stricter checks and sanctions for those who break the law."

The arrests were executed on the specified day by agents from a dedicated serious crime squad and are in addition to an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was let go subject to further enquiries.