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Two men have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in association with the enormous heap of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests occur a week after a prior report which uncovered the presence of over 500 illegal sites throughout England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environmental body stated that the arrests were for environment-related and financial crimes and constituted a "vital step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Scale of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to contain around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what appears to be processed household waste, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and other everyday articles.

It is just one example of 517 unauthorized tips throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total figure of such larger dumps is likely to be greater, as the regulatory agency has previously acknowledged it does not hold information on volume for each unauthorized site.

A large proportion of such locations are in rural locations, often out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural property.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement say a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning profit by asking for significantly less than lawful firms to take and dispose of garbage.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use lawful disposal sites, depending on the volume and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Anger

Initial work to remove the affected location commenced recently due to worries over the potential of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been given the job to handle the location over the coming 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environment team stated that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clean-up costs under proceeds of crime legislation from anyone ultimately prosecuted at the conclusion of its active inquiry.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and permit officials to "pursue more leads to understand exactly what transpired and who was involved".

"The unauthorized site at the site was an shocking and deliberate attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the local outrage at this horrific offence," she stated.

A senior representative praised the actions, commenting: "The illegal dumping of garbage at the site is disgraceful and has led to considerable harm to the ecology and distress to the local residents.

"The government is dedicated to eliminating this type of crime throughout the country, by augmenting funds to tackle environmental crime, employing more staff and enacting stricter checks and sanctions for those who flout the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by personnel from a specialist organised crime squad and come after an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in last November. He was let go awaiting further investigations.