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Two individuals have been arrested as a component of an probe into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in association with the huge heap of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a recent revelation which uncovered the operation of more than 500 unlawful tips in the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment authorities stated that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering violations and represented a "vital step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to hold approximately 21,000 tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is consists of what appears to be processed household refuse, fragmented plastic materials, Styrofoam, automobile tires and other domestic articles.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual number of such bigger sites is probably to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously acknowledged it does not hold records on weight for all unlawful tip.

The majority such locations are in agricultural locations, typically out of sight, and on land that should be farm property.

Organized Operations

Law enforcement state numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by charging much less than licensed companies to receive and dispose of waste.

Companies have to pay site fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the amount and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Frustration

Preparation operations to clean up the affected site commenced earlier this month due to concerns over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A private waste clearance company has been granted the job to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environment team said that the body would be seeking to claim back the remediation costs under asset recovery laws from any party found guilty at the conclusion of its current case.

She further stated that these arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and permit the agency to "follow more leads to understand precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"This illegal site at the site was an appalling and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and we understand the local anger at this horrific offence," she said.

A government minister welcomed the actions, commenting: "This illegal deposit of waste at this location is appalling and has led to significant harm to the environment and anguish to the local population.

"The authorities is committed to stamping out this category of illegal activity throughout the nation, by increasing financing to combat environmental crime, recruiting more officers and introducing stricter checks and sanctions for those who flout the regulations."

The detentions were carried out on the specified day by officers from a regional crime unit and are in addition to an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was released pending further enquiries.