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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of many thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the huge pile of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a prior report which uncovered the presence of more than 500 unauthorized sites in the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental authorities said that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering offences and represented a "key step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to house approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is consists of what looks to be treated household refuse, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, tires and other household items.

It is just a single of 517 illegal sites in the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such larger locations is probably to be greater, as the environment body has in the past stated it does not hold records on volume for all unauthorized site.

Most these sites are in countryside settings, frequently concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Organized Operations

Authorities say many are run by criminal organizations, who are making profit by asking for much less than lawful operators to take and bury waste.

Businesses have to be liable for gate fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the quantity and nature of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Anger

Preparatory operations to clean up the Kidlington site began earlier this month amid concerns over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent A-road.

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

An investigations official for the country's regulatory unit said that the authority would be looking to recover the remediation funds under confiscation legislation from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the end of its current inquiry.

She further stated that the recent arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more leads to understand exactly what happened and who was involved".

"The unlawful dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our environment and we empathize with the local anger at this terrible offence," she stated.

A cabinet minister praised the actions, adding: "This unlawful tipping of rubbish at Kidlington is appalling and has led to substantial damage to the natural world and upset to the surrounding residents.

"Our government is committed to eliminating this category of illegal activity across the country, by increasing funds to address environmental crime, recruiting more personnel and enacting stricter measures and sanctions for those who flout the regulations."

The arrests were made on Thursday by personnel from a regional crime team and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was let go subject to additional inquiries.