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Two individuals have been arrested as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in relation with the huge mound of rubbish dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a previous revelation which uncovered the operation of more than 500 unlawful sites throughout the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environment body stated that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is thought to hold around 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is composed of what looks to be processed household rubbish, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and other household items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized sites in the country, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 metric tons of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual number of such larger locations is expected to be higher, as the environmental authority has in the past acknowledged it does not possess records on weight for every illegal tip.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural settings, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement say a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by demanding much less than licensed operators to take and landfill garbage.

Companies have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the volume and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Initial work to clear the Kidlington location started in recent weeks following concerns over the threat of blaze and the impact that would have on the close-by major road.

A private clean-up company has been given the task to remediate the site over the next 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's regulatory team stated that the agency would be seeking to claim back the clearance expenses under proceeds of crime laws from any party ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its current case.

She further stated that these detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain in detail what happened and who was involved".

"The unauthorized site at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our ecology and the authorities understand the public's frustration at this horrific act," she stated.

A government official welcomed the actions, stating: "The unauthorized tipping of garbage at Kidlington is disgraceful and has led to considerable detriment to the natural world and upset to the surrounding community.

"The government is dedicated to eradicating this type of crime throughout the country, by boosting funds to tackle waste crime, hiring more staff and introducing tougher checks and fines for those who break the law."

The arrests were executed on the specified day by officers from a dedicated crime unit and come after an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was released pending additional inquiries.