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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in connection with the massive heap of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a recent report which exposed the existence of more than 500 unauthorized dumps across the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environmental body stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and money laundering offences and were a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34, is thought to house about 21,000 tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is made up of what appears to be sorted residential refuse, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, automobile tires and assorted household items.

It is just one example of 517 unauthorized tips throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of garbage. These include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual number of such major locations is likely to be greater, as the regulatory agency has in the past indicated it does not possess data on volume for all unauthorized tip.

Most sites are in agricultural areas, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as agricultural land.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement say a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by demanding far less than lawful operators to take and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, depending on the volume and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Initial operations to clean up the affected site commenced recently due to fears over the potential of combustion and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted clean-up company has been granted the contract to deal with the site over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the government environment division commented that the authority would be seeking to recoup the clearance expenses under proceeds of crime acts from any party successfully found guilty at the end of its current inquiry.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "investigate more avenues to ascertain exactly what happened and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful dump at this location was an appalling and calculated attack on our environment and the authorities share the community's outrage at this horrific act," she remarked.

A senior representative supported the actions, stating: "This unauthorized tipping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant detriment to the ecology and distress to the nearby residents.

"Our administration is dedicated to stamping out this type of crime in the country, by augmenting funds to combat waste crime, recruiting more staff and introducing stricter checks and sanctions for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated serious crime unit and follow an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free subject to more enquiries.