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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an inquiry into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in association with the enormous pile of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests follow a previous report which revealed the existence of more than 500 illegal dumps across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the regulatory agency commented that the arrests were for environment-related and financial crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to house around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what seems to be sorted domestic rubbish, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, tires and various everyday objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful tips throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 tonnes of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total figure of such larger dumps is expected to be greater, as the regulatory authority has previously stated it does not hold records on volume for every illegal tip.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural locations, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural property.

Organised Enterprise

Police state numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating money by demanding significantly less than licensed operators to receive and bury rubbish.

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

Community Outrage

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington area dump began recently due to fears over the potential of fire and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A private clean-up contractor has been given the task to remediate the location over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the national environmental crime division stated that the agency would be looking to claim back the remediation expenses under confiscation legislation from anyone ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its active inquiry.

She added that this week's arrests would help "push the investigation forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand in detail what transpired and who was involved".

"The unauthorized tip at this location was an atrocious and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and we understand the public's outrage at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A government official supported the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized deposit of garbage at this location is appalling and has led to considerable detriment to the environment and distress to the surrounding population.

"Our government is dedicated to eradicating this type of criminality across the UK, by augmenting resources to combat waste crime, hiring more staff and enacting stricter controls and fines for those who flout the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by agents from a dedicated serious crime squad and are in addition to an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released pending additional investigations.