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Two men have been taken into custody as part of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of waste in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in relation with the enormous pile of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a recent report which exposed the operation of over 500 unlawful dumps across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environmental agency commented that the arrests were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "crucial step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to house about 21,000 tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of waste is composed of what looks to be sorted domestic refuse, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various everyday objects.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized tips across the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall number of such larger dumps is expected to be higher, as the environmental body has earlier indicated it does not hold information on tonnage for all illegal site.

Most these sites are in countryside settings, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement state a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning profit by charging significantly less than legitimate companies to receive and landfill rubbish.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Initial operations to remove the Kidlington area site commenced earlier this month amid worries over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been given the job to handle the site over the following 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's environment team said that the agency would be looking to recoup the clean-up funds under confiscation acts from anyone successfully convicted at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that these detentions would help "push the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"The unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our environment and officials empathize with the local anger at this horrific crime," she stated.

A cabinet official supported the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized tipping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has resulted in significant damage to the natural world and upset to the nearby residents.

"Our administration is committed to stamping out this kind of illegal activity across the nation, by increasing funds to combat waste crime, hiring more staff and enacting tougher measures and fines for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were made on the specified day by personnel from a regional organised crime squad and come after an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was let go awaiting additional enquiries.