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A pair of individuals have been arrested as part of an probe into the tipping of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in connection with the enormous mound of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests occur a week after a previous investigation which exposed the operation of over 500 unlawful sites throughout England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environmental authorities commented that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "key step" in active probes. Both men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Size of the Issue

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to contain approximately 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of waste is composed of what appears to be processed residential refuse, chopped up plastic materials, polystyrene, tyres and assorted household objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful sites across England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger locations is expected to be greater, as the environment authority has earlier stated it does not maintain records on volume for each unlawful dump.

A large proportion of these sites are in countryside settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Police report numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are earning money by asking for far less than lawful companies to take and dispose of garbage.

Companies have to pay site fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Preparatory work to clean up the Kidlington dump started earlier this month amid worries over the potential of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.

A contracted clean-up company has been granted the contract to handle the area over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's regulatory division stated that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clearance expenses under confiscation legislation from anyone found guilty at the conclusion of its current inquiry.

She further stated that the recent arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal dump at the site was an shocking and deliberate assault on our environment and we understand the community's anger at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A senior minister praised the detentions, adding: "This illegal dumping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has caused considerable detriment to the natural world and upset to the nearby community.

"Our authorities is pledged to stamping out this type of crime across the country, by increasing funds to address illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and enacting stricter measures and penalties for those who flout the regulations."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional serious crime unit and come after an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was let go subject to further enquiries.