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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in connection with the huge mound of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous investigation which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps across the country of England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental body commented that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The illegal site in Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of garbage is made up of what looks to be treated household refuse, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted household articles.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger locations is probably to be greater, as the environmental authority has previously indicated it does not hold data on volume for every unauthorized site.

The majority sites are in countryside locations, typically concealed, and on land that should be agricultural property.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities state numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating profit by demanding significantly less than legitimate operators to receive and landfill garbage.

Companies have to incur site fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the amount and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Anger

Initial work to remove the Kidlington area dump began earlier this month following concerns over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A private 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 manager for the government environment unit said that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance expenses under confiscation laws from anyone prosecuted at the end of its current investigation.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow officials to "follow more leads to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This illegal dump at this location was an atrocious and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the community's outrage at this egregious offence," she stated.

A senior official welcomed the actions, stating: "This illegal dumping of rubbish at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in considerable damage to the natural world and anguish to the nearby community.

"The administration is pledged to eliminating this category of illegal activity in the country, by increasing resources to address illegal dumping, employing more officers and introducing stricter measures and penalties for those who break the rules."

The arrests were carried out on the specified day by officers from a specialist organised crime unit and come after an prior apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in last November. He was released awaiting further inquiries.