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Two men have been arrested as part of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous heap of garbage deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous investigation which uncovered the presence of more than 500 unauthorized sites in England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities said that the detentions were for environment-related and financial crimes and constituted a "key step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is made up of what appears to be sorted domestic rubbish, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, tires and assorted domestic items.

It is just one example of 517 unlawful tips throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of garbage. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger sites is likely to be larger, as the environmental authority has previously acknowledged it does not maintain information on weight for all unauthorized dump.

The majority sites are in agricultural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be farm property.

Organised Activity

Law enforcement say a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating money by asking for significantly less than lawful firms to receive and landfill waste.

Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, depending on the volume and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Initial operations to clear the Kidlington dump commenced in recent weeks due to worries over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the contract to deal with the site over the following 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's environmental crime unit commented that the authority would be aiming to recover the clearance costs under proceeds of crime laws from any party ultimately convicted at the termination of its current inquiry.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what happened and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful dump at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated assault on our ecology and we understand the public's outrage at this terrible crime," she said.

A cabinet minister supported the actions, stating: "This illegal tipping of garbage at the site is disgraceful and has caused substantial harm to the environment and anguish to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is committed to stamping out this category of crime throughout the nation, by increasing funds to address waste crime, hiring more officers and enacting more severe controls and fines for those who break the rules."

The detentions were made on Thursday by agents from a regional crime team and are in addition to an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was released subject to further enquiries.