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Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tonnes of waste in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the massive heap of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a previous revelation which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps throughout England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environmental authorities stated that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "key step" in continuing probes. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to house around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of waste is made up of what appears to be treated residential waste, chopped up plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and other domestic articles.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized tips across the country, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual figure of such larger dumps is likely to be higher, as the regulatory agency has previously stated it does not hold information on weight for each illegal site.

Most these sites are in rural locations, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural land.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement say numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are generating money by charging far less than legitimate companies to accept and landfill rubbish.

Companies have to incur site fees to use licensed landfill sites, based on the volume and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Outrage

Preparatory work to clear the affected dump commenced in recent weeks amid worries over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted clean-up firm has been awarded the contract to handle the location over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national regulatory division stated that the authority would be looking to claim back the clearance expenses under confiscation legislation from any party successfully prosecuted at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more avenues to determine in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"The unlawful site at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our environment and officials empathize with the community's frustration at this horrific act," she stated.

A government minister welcomed the detentions, stating: "The illegal dumping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant detriment to the natural world and anguish to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is pledged to stamping out this category of criminality throughout the nation, by boosting funds to address waste crime, hiring more personnel and implementing stricter checks and fines for those who flout the rules."

The arrests were made on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated serious crime unit and come after an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in November. He was let go subject to more investigations.