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A pair of individuals have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the dumping of many thousands of tons of waste in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the huge mound of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a prior revelation which uncovered the presence of more than 500 illegal dumps throughout the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environment body stated that the detentions were for environmental and money laundering crimes and were a "vital step" in active inquiries. Both men have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is made up of what looks to be treated residential refuse, chopped up plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and various everyday items.

It is just one of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. They 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 total amount of such bigger locations is probably to be greater, as the regulatory agency has earlier stated it does not maintain records on volume for each unlawful site.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside locations, typically hidden, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Police report numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning profit by asking for significantly less than licensed companies to accept and bury waste.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the volume and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Anger

Initial work to remove the affected location began earlier this month amid worries over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby major road.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been given the job to remediate the location over the following 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the national regulatory unit commented that the agency would be looking to recoup the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime acts from any individual ultimately found guilty at the conclusion of its current case.

She added that this week's arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and permit officials to "pursue more leads to determine exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful site at the site was an appalling and deliberate attack on our ecology and we empathize with the community's anger at this egregious crime," she remarked.

A government official praised the arrests, adding: "This unlawful deposit of waste at the site is appalling and has caused substantial damage to the ecology and upset to the local population.

"Our government is committed to stamping out this type of illegal activity across the country, by augmenting financing to combat illegal dumping, hiring more officers and enacting tougher controls and penalties for those who violate the law."

The arrests were carried out on a recent Thursday by officers from a specialist organised crime squad and follow an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in November. He was set free awaiting additional investigations.