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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as part of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the huge mound of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a prior report which revealed the existence of in excess of 500 illegal tips in England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory authorities stated that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering violations and represented a "vital step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold around 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of rubbish is composed of what seems to be treated household refuse, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household items.

It constitutes just a single of 517 illegal sites throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. These feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such larger sites is expected to be higher, as the environment body has earlier stated it does not maintain records on volume for each unauthorized site.

The majority such locations are in agricultural locations, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Organised Activity

Law enforcement say a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning money by asking for far less than licensed firms to accept and dispose of garbage.

Companies have to incur disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Anger

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington area site started in recent weeks due to concerns over the potential of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.

A private clean-up contractor has been granted the contract to deal with the location over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the national regulatory division stated that the body would be aiming to claim back the clean-up expenses under asset recovery laws from any party successfully prosecuted at the termination of its active investigation.

She added that this week's arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and enable the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to understand in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unlawful dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and intentional assault on our environment and the authorities understand the local outrage at this terrible act," she stated.

A government representative praised the detentions, adding: "This unauthorized tipping of garbage at Kidlington is appalling and has caused substantial damage to the natural world and anguish to the nearby residents.

"The administration is dedicated to eliminating this type of crime in the country, by increasing resources to combat environmental crime, employing more staff and implementing more severe measures and penalties for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional serious crime unit and follow an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in November. He was set free awaiting additional enquiries.