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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of thousands of tons of waste in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous heap of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a prior revelation which exposed the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps in the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency stated that the detentions were for environment-related and financial violations and constituted a "vital step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been set free on conditional release.

Scale of the Situation

The dump in near Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is estimated to house around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of waste is made up of what appears to be sorted domestic rubbish, shredded plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and various domestic items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such larger sites is likely to be higher, as the environmental agency has previously stated it does not possess records on volume for all unauthorized tip.

Most these sites are in agricultural areas, frequently concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities state numerous are run by criminal organizations, who are making money by demanding much less than lawful operators to receive and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the quantity and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory work to remove the Kidlington site commenced recently following worries over the risk of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted waste clearance company has been awarded the task to remediate the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the national regulatory unit stated that the body would be looking to claim back the clean-up costs under asset recovery acts from anyone ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "push the probe forward" and enable officials to "investigate more leads to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful site at this location was an appalling and calculated affront on our environment and the authorities empathize with the public's anger at this egregious offence," she stated.

A government representative praised the arrests, adding: "This unauthorized dumping of rubbish at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has caused considerable damage to the ecology and upset to the nearby residents.

"The administration is committed to eradicating this category of illegal activity throughout the country, by augmenting financing to tackle environmental crime, employing more staff and introducing tougher controls and fines for those who break the rules."

The detentions were executed on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated crime team and follow an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was let go awaiting additional investigations.