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Two individuals have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials 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 in connection with the massive pile of rubbish dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a recent revelation which revealed the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory body said that the apprehensions were for environmental and money laundering violations and were a "key step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold about 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of rubbish is made up of what looks to be treated domestic rubbish, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and other household items.

It represents just one of 517 unlawful sites across England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall figure of such larger sites is expected to be larger, as the environment body has in the past acknowledged it does not possess records on volume for all illegal dump.

A large proportion of sites are in rural settings, often out of sight, and on land that should be farm land.

Organized Operations

Authorities say a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are making money by demanding much less than legitimate firms to take and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the quantity and category of refuse they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Preparatory efforts to clean up the Kidlington area site began in recent weeks amid fears over the potential of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.

A private waste clearance firm has been given the task to deal with the area over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's environment team stated that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance funds under confiscation laws from anyone found guilty at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more avenues to determine in detail what transpired and who was involved".

"The illegal tip at the site was an shocking and deliberate attack on our ecology and we empathize with the local anger at this terrible crime," she stated.

A government minister supported the arrests, adding: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at this location is utterly appalling and has led to considerable harm to the natural world and upset to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is dedicated to stamping out this category of criminality across the UK, by augmenting financing to tackle waste crime, recruiting more officers and implementing more severe checks and fines for those who flout the rules."

The apprehensions were made on a recent Thursday by officers from a dedicated serious crime team and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was released subject to additional inquiries.