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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an probe into the tipping of many thousands of tonnes of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in association with the massive heap of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions come after a previous report which uncovered the presence of more than 500 unlawful tips across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environmental agency said that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is made up of what looks to be treated household refuse, fragmented plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and other everyday items.

It is just one example of 517 unlawful dumps throughout the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall amount of such larger locations is likely to be greater, as the environmental authority has earlier acknowledged it does not hold data on tonnage for all unlawful site.

Most sites are in agricultural areas, often concealed, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Organised Enterprise

Police say numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are making cash by charging much less than lawful companies to accept and bury rubbish.

Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Preparatory operations to remove the Kidlington dump commenced in recent weeks following concerns over the threat of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A contracted clean-up company has been awarded the task to handle the area over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's regulatory team stated that the body would be aiming to recover the remediation expenses under confiscation acts from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its active case.

She added that this week's arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and allow officials to "investigate more avenues to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was implicated".

"This unlawful dump at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated assault on our ecology and we share the local outrage at this horrific offence," she stated.

A senior official supported the arrests, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at this location is appalling and has led to significant damage to the natural world and anguish to the nearby community.

"Our government is dedicated to eliminating this category of criminality throughout the nation, by increasing resources to address environmental crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing tougher measures and penalties for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were made on the specified day by personnel from a specialist organised crime squad and follow an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in November. He was set free subject to more enquiries.