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Two men have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the massive pile of waste tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a recent investigation which uncovered the presence of over 500 unlawful dumps throughout the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A official for the regulatory body said that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering violations and were a "crucial step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of garbage is consists of what appears to be treated residential waste, shredded plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household items.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful dumps throughout the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The overall number of such major sites is expected to be higher, as the environmental agency has in the past indicated it does not maintain records on weight for every illegal site.

Most these sites are in countryside settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be arable ground.

Organized Activity

Authorities state many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by asking for significantly less than licensed firms to receive and landfill garbage.

Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the volume and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Preparatory operations to clean up the affected site began in recent weeks due to worries over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial clean-up firm has been awarded the job to deal with the location over the coming 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's environmental crime unit commented that the authority would be seeking to recoup the remediation expenses under asset recovery legislation from anyone successfully found guilty at the conclusion of its active case.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "follow more avenues to understand in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"This illegal dump at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and we understand the local outrage at this egregious offence," she stated.

A government representative welcomed the arrests, commenting: "This illegal dumping of garbage at this location is appalling and has led to considerable harm to the environment and anguish to the local community.

"The government is pledged to stamping out this category of illegal activity in the nation, by boosting resources to tackle waste crime, hiring more officers and introducing more severe controls and fines for those who break the regulations."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by personnel from a specialist organised crime unit and are in addition to an previous arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in last November. He was set free pending additional inquiries.