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Two men have been arrested as a component of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials indicated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough, Berkshire in association with the massive mound of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior report which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized sites in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environment agency commented that the arrests were for ecological and financial violations and constituted a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is estimated to contain around 21,000 tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is consists of what appears to be treated household refuse, chopped up plastic items, polystyrene, tires and various domestic objects.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps across the country, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tons of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total figure of such major sites is expected to be higher, as the environmental body has earlier acknowledged it does not hold information on volume for all unlawful site.

Most sites are in rural settings, often concealed, and on land that is intended to be farm ground.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement report many are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by asking for far less than legitimate operators to accept and landfill waste.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the quantity and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Initial work to clear the Kidlington site commenced earlier this month amid fears over the risk of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.

A contracted waste removal company has been awarded the job to deal with the location over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the national regulatory division stated that the authority would be aiming to recoup the remediation expenses under confiscation acts from any individual ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "move the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was implicated".

"The illegal site at this location was an appalling and intentional assault on our environment and officials understand the public's outrage at this horrific offence," she stated.

A cabinet representative supported the actions, stating: "The illegal deposit of garbage at the site is disgraceful and has led to substantial harm to the ecology and upset to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is dedicated to eradicating this type of criminality across the nation, by augmenting financing to address waste crime, recruiting more officers and enacting stricter measures and sanctions for those who break the law."

The detentions were executed on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated organised crime unit and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was released subject to further investigations.