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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an investigation into the dumping of several thousand of tons of refuse in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the huge heap of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions follow a prior revelation which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 unlawful sites throughout England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment body stated that the arrests were for ecological and money laundering violations and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to contain about 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of waste is consists of what looks to be processed residential waste, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, automobile tires and other domestic objects.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful tips across England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual amount of such major sites is expected to be larger, as the environmental body has previously indicated it does not possess information on tonnage for each illegal tip.

Most sites are in rural areas, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be farm property.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities say numerous are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by asking for significantly less than legitimate companies to accept and bury garbage.

Firms have to incur gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the amount and type of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Preparation efforts to remove the affected location began earlier this month amid concerns over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby major road.

A private waste removal company has been granted the contract to handle the area over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environmental crime team said that the body would be looking to recoup the clearance costs under confiscation legislation from any individual successfully prosecuted at the termination of its current investigation.

She noted that the recent detentions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "follow more leads to understand in detail what happened and who was involved".

"This unauthorized tip at the site was an appalling and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and we share the local anger at this horrific act," she remarked.

A government official supported the detentions, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of rubbish at this location is appalling and has led to considerable damage to the ecology and distress to the surrounding residents.

"The administration is pledged to eradicating this type of crime throughout the nation, by increasing financing to tackle illegal dumping, employing more staff and introducing stricter checks and sanctions for those who violate the rules."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional serious crime squad and follow an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was set free awaiting more enquiries.