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A pair of individuals have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the tipping of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive mound of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions come after a previous revelation which uncovered the operation of over 500 unauthorized tips across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment body said that the apprehensions were for environmental and money laundering violations and represented a "crucial step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been let go on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to house around 21,000 tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what looks to be sorted household waste, fragmented plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various domestic objects.

It represents just one of 517 illegal dumps in England, at least 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total amount of such major dumps is probably to be higher, as the regulatory body has earlier stated it does not hold data on volume for all unlawful site.

The majority sites are in agricultural settings, often concealed, and on land that is intended to be arable ground.

Criminal Activity

Authorities say a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by charging far less than legitimate firms to take and dispose of garbage.

Firms have to pay site fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the volume and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Frustration

Preparatory work to clear the affected location began recently due to concerns over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby major road.

A private waste clearance company has been granted the task to handle the area over the following 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the national environmental crime unit commented that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up costs under asset recovery legislation from any party successfully convicted at the conclusion of its current case.

She noted that these arrests would help "push the probe forward" and enable the agency to "follow more avenues to determine exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized site at Kidlington was an shocking and calculated assault on our ecology and officials share the public's frustration at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A cabinet minister welcomed the actions, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of rubbish at the site is utterly appalling and has led to considerable harm to the environment and anguish to the nearby population.

"Our administration is dedicated to eliminating this kind of criminality across the country, by boosting financing to combat illegal dumping, employing more officers and implementing more severe checks and penalties for those who flout the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by officers from a specialist organised crime squad and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was released awaiting more enquiries.