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Two men have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous pile of rubbish tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests come after a prior investigation which exposed the operation of over 500 unlawful dumps across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environment authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial violations and constituted a "vital step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is believed to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is made up of what appears to be sorted residential rubbish, chopped up plastics, Styrofoam, automobile tires and various everyday items.

It represents just one of 517 unlawful sites across the country, at a minimum of 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such larger dumps is probably to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously stated it does not hold records on volume for every unlawful tip.

The majority sites are in countryside locations, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Organised Operations

Authorities say numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making money by charging far less than licensed firms to accept and landfill garbage.

Companies have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the volume and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Initial efforts to clear the Kidlington site started recently amid concerns over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A private waste removal company has been awarded the job to remediate the site over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environmental crime unit commented that the authority would be looking to recover the clean-up funds under confiscation laws from any individual ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She added that this week's arrests would help "push the probe forward" and enable officials to "follow more avenues to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unauthorized site at this location was an shocking and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and officials empathize with the community's frustration at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the actions, commenting: "This unlawful dumping of garbage at this location is appalling and has led to significant detriment to the environment and anguish to the local residents.

"The government is dedicated to stamping out this type of criminality in the nation, by augmenting resources to combat illegal dumping, employing more personnel and enacting tougher measures and fines for those who flout the law."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional crime unit and follow an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was set free pending further enquiries.