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

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in relation with the enormous heap of garbage deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a previous report which revealed the presence of over 500 unlawful sites throughout the country of England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment body commented that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering offences and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been set free on conditional release.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is consists of what appears to be treated household refuse, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps in England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual number of such major dumps is expected to be higher, as the environmental body has in the past stated it does not hold records on tonnage for all unlawful site.

The majority sites are in agricultural areas, typically hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural property.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities report a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by asking for significantly less than lawful firms to receive and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to incur site fees to use licensed waste facilities, based on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Initial operations to remove the Kidlington location commenced recently following fears over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A private waste removal company has been granted the contract to remediate the area over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government regulatory unit stated that the body would be seeking to recoup the remediation expenses under confiscation acts from any party prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing inquiry.

She further stated that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable authorities to "pursue more avenues to determine in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"The unlawful tip at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our ecology and we understand the local anger at this egregious crime," she remarked.

A cabinet minister welcomed the detentions, adding: "This unauthorized tipping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has led to considerable detriment to the ecology and upset to the nearby community.

"The government is pledged to eradicating this category of crime across the UK, by boosting resources to tackle waste crime, recruiting more officers and introducing tougher measures and fines for those who flout the law."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional crime unit and follow an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released awaiting additional enquiries.