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A pair of individuals have been arrested as part of an investigation into the dumping of thousands of tons of waste in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous mound of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a recent revelation which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps in the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment body commented that the arrests were for environmental and proceeds of crime offences and were a "key step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to house about 21,000 tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is composed of what appears to be processed household rubbish, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and various domestic articles.

It is just one of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such major dumps is likely to be larger, as the environment agency has previously stated it does not possess data on weight for all unlawful site.

Most sites are in rural areas, typically hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Organized Enterprise

Authorities state a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by demanding far less than licensed firms to receive and dispose of waste.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use legitimate waste facilities, depending on the volume and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Initial operations to clear the Kidlington area site began in recent weeks due to worries over the risk of fire and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A private waste removal firm has been awarded the contract to deal with the location over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national regulatory team stated that the authority would be looking to recover the remediation funds under proceeds of crime laws from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the end of its active inquiry.

She added that the recent detentions would help "push the investigation forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more leads to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"The illegal tip at the site was an appalling and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the local anger at this egregious crime," she stated.

A senior official welcomed the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized tipping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has led to considerable detriment to the environment and distress to the nearby residents.

"The government is pledged to eradicating this category of criminality throughout the nation, by boosting funds to tackle waste crime, hiring more staff and introducing tougher checks and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime team and are in addition to an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in November. He was released awaiting further investigations.