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A pair of individuals have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in association with the enormous mound of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a recent investigation which revealed the presence of over 500 unauthorized sites across England, including at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environmental body said that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and represented a "vital step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what seems to be sorted domestic waste, chopped up plastic items, Styrofoam, tires and other domestic items.

It represents just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps across the country, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of garbage. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger locations is expected to be larger, as the environment authority has previously stated it does not possess data on weight for each unauthorized dump.

A large proportion of such locations are in agricultural settings, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Organised Operations

Authorities report a significant number are run by criminal organizations, who are making profit by asking for far less than licensed firms to receive and bury garbage.

Businesses have to incur site fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the quantity and type of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Anger

Preparatory efforts to remove the Kidlington location began in recent weeks amid fears over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted clean-up company has been granted the contract to deal with the area over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the government environmental crime division commented that the authority would be aiming to recover the clean-up funds under asset recovery legislation from anyone convicted at the conclusion of its active investigation.

She noted that the recent detentions would help "push the probe forward" and enable the agency to "pursue more avenues to determine precisely what happened and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful dump at Kidlington was an shocking and calculated assault on our ecology and we empathize with the community's anger at this egregious crime," she remarked.

A senior representative welcomed the actions, stating: "The illegal deposit of waste at this location is appalling and has led to substantial harm to the natural world and anguish to the nearby community.

"Our authorities is pledged to stamping out this type of criminality throughout the nation, by increasing funds to combat waste crime, hiring more staff and implementing stricter controls and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated serious crime squad and follow an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in last November. He was let go pending more inquiries.