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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive pile of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These arrests follow a recent report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps in the country of England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment body said that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial crimes and were a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Scale of the Problem

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

This mound of rubbish is consists of what appears to be sorted domestic waste, fragmented plastics, polystyrene, tires and various domestic articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 illegal tips across the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes 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 the county of Kent.

The total number of such major dumps is likely to be higher, as the environment body has in the past indicated it does not possess information on weight for each illegal tip.

A large proportion of such locations are in rural locations, often hidden, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Criminal Activity

Authorities state a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are making cash by charging far less than licensed companies to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the quantity and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Outrage

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington location began recently amid fears over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the close-by highway.

A commercial waste clearance company has been granted the contract to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's environmental crime unit commented that the body would be looking to recover the clearance costs under proceeds of crime laws from any party prosecuted at the end of its current case.

She further stated that these detentions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"The unlawful dump at the site was an shocking and intentional assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the community's anger at this horrific crime," she stated.

A senior representative praised the detentions, adding: "The unauthorized deposit of garbage at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial damage to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding community.

"Our administration is committed to eradicating this kind of crime throughout the nation, by increasing financing to tackle environmental crime, employing more personnel and implementing more severe controls and fines for those who flout the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by officers from a regional crime team and follow an prior detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in last November. He was let go pending further inquiries.