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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an investigation into the dumping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the huge heap of waste dumped near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a prior investigation which exposed the presence of more than 500 unlawful dumps across England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment authorities commented that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Size of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to contain around 21,000 tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is made up of what appears to be treated domestic rubbish, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted household items.

It is just one example of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such bigger locations is likely to be higher, as the environment agency has in the past stated it does not maintain data on tonnage for each unauthorized site.

Most sites are in countryside areas, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Criminal Activity

Authorities report many are run by organized crime groups, who are generating profit by asking for far less than licensed companies to take and bury garbage.

Companies have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate waste facilities, based on the quantity and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Preparatory efforts to remove the Kidlington area site started earlier this month following concerns over the risk of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A commercial clean-up company has been given the task to handle the site over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the government environment team commented that the body would be seeking to recoup the remediation funds under asset recovery laws from any individual successfully prosecuted at the end of its current case.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more avenues to determine precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unlawful dump at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated affront on our ecology and officials empathize with the community's outrage at this egregious offence," she stated.

A cabinet minister welcomed the arrests, commenting: "The unlawful dumping of rubbish at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in significant harm to the ecology and anguish to the local community.

"Our government is pledged to stamping out this type of criminality across the UK, by boosting funds to tackle waste crime, hiring more staff and introducing tougher checks and fines for those who break the rules."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime unit and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released awaiting additional enquiries.