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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous heap of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a recent investigation which revealed the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps throughout England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment body said that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering offences and represented a "crucial step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is thought to hold around 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of waste is consists of what seems to be sorted household rubbish, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, automobile tires and other domestic objects.

It constitutes just one example of 517 illegal sites throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 tonnes of waste. These include a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total number of such major dumps is likely to be greater, as the regulatory agency has in the past acknowledged it does not hold data on weight for every illegal tip.

The majority sites are in agricultural locations, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement state many are managed by criminal organizations, who are earning cash by demanding significantly less than lawful companies to take and dispose of waste.

Companies have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate disposal sites, contingent on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory operations to remove the Kidlington dump commenced in recent weeks following concerns over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A private waste removal contractor has been awarded the contract to remediate the location over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the government regulatory division stated that the authority would be aiming to recover the clean-up costs under confiscation laws from anyone prosecuted at the end of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that the recent apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"The unlawful site at this location was an shocking and calculated affront on our ecology and the authorities share the community's anger at this horrific act," she stated.

A senior official supported the actions, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in significant detriment to the natural world and upset to the local residents.

"Our authorities is committed to eliminating this type of crime across the UK, by augmenting financing to address illegal dumping, recruiting more staff and introducing tougher checks and fines for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by agents from a regional crime squad and come after an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in last November. He was let go subject to additional investigations.