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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the massive mound of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous revelation which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 illegal tips across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environmental agency stated that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "vital step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to contain about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is consists of what appears to be processed residential refuse, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, automobile tires and assorted household articles.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized sites throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual figure of such major sites is likely to be larger, as the environment body has earlier indicated it does not hold records on volume for every unlawful site.

The majority sites are in rural areas, often out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities report many are operated by organized crime groups, who are making money by demanding far less than legitimate operators to take and bury waste.

Companies have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, based on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Initial work to remove the affected site started in recent weeks due to worries over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby major road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been given the job to handle the area over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the government regulatory division stated that the agency would be looking to recover the remediation funds under proceeds of crime acts from any party ultimately prosecuted at the conclusion of its current inquiry.

She added that the recent arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and allow officials to "follow more leads to understand in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"This unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an shocking and intentional affront on our environment and the authorities empathize with the community's frustration at this terrible act," she remarked.

A cabinet official welcomed the arrests, stating: "This unauthorized tipping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant harm to the ecology and distress to the surrounding population.

"The authorities is pledged to eliminating this kind of criminality in the country, by increasing resources to address waste crime, employing more personnel and implementing more severe controls and penalties for those who break the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by agents from a specialist crime team and are in addition to an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting more enquiries.