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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of waste in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive pile of rubbish dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions come after a prior report which revealed the existence of more than 500 unlawful tips in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment agency commented that the detentions were for environment-related and financial offences and were a "crucial step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to contain about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is composed of what appears to be processed domestic refuse, chopped up plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and other household items.

It is just a single of 517 illegal tips in England, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual number of such major locations is expected to be larger, as the regulatory authority has previously indicated it does not possess information on weight for every unauthorized dump.

The majority such locations are in agricultural locations, typically out of sight, and on land that should be farm land.

Criminal Operations

Authorities say a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by asking for much less than licensed firms to receive and bury garbage.

Firms have to pay site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, based on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory operations to clear the Kidlington area dump started recently amid fears over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A private waste clearance firm has been granted the contract to remediate the area over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the national environmental crime unit said that the body would be looking to recover the clean-up funds under confiscation acts from any individual ultimately found guilty at the termination of its ongoing case.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more avenues to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate affront on our ecology and officials empathize with the community's outrage at this horrific act," she remarked.

A cabinet official praised the arrests, stating: "The illegal dumping of garbage at the site is appalling and has caused substantial damage to the environment and upset to the surrounding community.

"Our authorities is committed to eradicating this category of crime in the UK, by augmenting funds to combat illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and implementing stricter controls and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a specialist serious crime squad and come after an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in last November. He was released pending more inquiries.