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Two individuals have been arrested as a component of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous mound of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior revelation which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized sites across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory agency said that the arrests were for ecological and financial offences and constituted a "key step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to hold around 21,000 metric tons of waste 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 sorted household refuse, shredded plastic materials, polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household objects.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps in England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of waste. These include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total number of such larger locations is probably to be greater, as the environment body has previously acknowledged it does not maintain information on volume for every unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural locations, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural property.

Organized Operations

Law enforcement state numerous are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning money by charging much less than licensed companies to receive and bury rubbish.

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

Local Outrage

Preparation efforts to remove the affected site started in recent weeks amid worries over the risk of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A private waste clearance contractor has been awarded the contract to remediate the site over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the government environmental crime team commented that the agency would be seeking to recoup the clean-up funds under asset recovery acts from any individual prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing case.

She further stated that this week's detentions would help "move the probe forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more leads to determine in detail what happened and who was involved".

"The unauthorized site at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated affront on our environment and we empathize with the public's frustration at this terrible offence," she stated.

A cabinet minister supported the actions, stating: "The illegal deposit of garbage at Kidlington is disgraceful and has led to considerable detriment to the natural world and upset to the nearby residents.

"Our authorities is dedicated to eradicating this kind of illegal activity throughout the nation, by augmenting funds to address illegal dumping, hiring more staff and introducing stricter checks and fines for those who flout the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by agents from a dedicated serious crime unit and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was set free pending additional enquiries.