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Two men have been arrested as part of an inquiry into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in relation with the huge pile of waste dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous report which uncovered the presence of more than 500 illegal dumps across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory authorities said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and money laundering crimes and constituted a "key step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been released on bail.

Size of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what looks to be sorted household waste, shredded plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and assorted domestic articles.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful sites throughout England, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total number of such major sites is probably to be higher, as the environmental body has in the past indicated it does not maintain information on weight for every unlawful dump.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural property.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement report numerous are managed by organized crime groups, who are earning profit by asking for much less than lawful firms to take and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Preparatory operations to clear the Kidlington dump started in recent weeks amid concerns over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted waste removal firm has been granted the task to handle the area over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the government environmental crime unit stated that the agency would be seeking to claim back the clean-up expenses under asset recovery legislation from any party successfully found guilty at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"This unlawful dump at this location was an atrocious and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the community's frustration at this horrific offence," she said.

A senior representative welcomed the actions, commenting: "The illegal deposit of waste at this location is disgraceful and has caused significant detriment to the environment and upset to the local residents.

"The authorities is dedicated to eradicating this kind of illegal activity in the country, by increasing financing to combat environmental crime, hiring more staff and enacting stricter checks and sanctions for those who flout the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated organised crime squad and are in addition to an previous arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in last November. He was let go pending additional inquiries.