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Two individuals have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in association with the massive mound of rubbish deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a previous investigation which revealed the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps throughout the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environment agency commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "key step" in active inquiries. Both men have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to house about 21,000 tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is made up of what seems to be processed residential waste, chopped up plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and various domestic items.

It is just one of 517 illegal sites in England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. These include a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The overall figure of such major locations is likely to be higher, as the environmental agency has in the past indicated it does not possess records on tonnage for every illegal site.

The majority these sites are in rural locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be arable property.

Organised Enterprise

Police report many are managed by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by demanding far less than lawful companies to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to incur gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington location commenced earlier this month following fears over the risk of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been awarded the job to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national environment team commented that the authority would be seeking to recoup the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime laws from anyone successfully found guilty at the end of its current case.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and permit officials to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"The illegal tip at Kidlington was an appalling and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and officials understand the public's outrage at this egregious offence," she said.

A government representative supported the detentions, adding: "The illegal dumping of waste at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has led to substantial detriment to the ecology and upset to the local residents.

"The administration is committed to eliminating this category of criminality in the UK, by augmenting funds to combat environmental crime, employing more officers and introducing tougher measures and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were carried out on a recent Thursday by agents from a specialist serious crime unit and come after an previous arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in last November. He was set free awaiting further investigations.