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A pair of individuals have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of thousands of tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous mound of rubbish tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions come after a recent investigation which uncovered the existence of more than 500 unlawful tips in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory agency stated that the arrests were for environment-related and financial offences and represented a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to contain about 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is made up of what appears to be processed domestic rubbish, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and various domestic objects.

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

The actual number of such major dumps is probably to be greater, as the regulatory agency has previously acknowledged it does not hold records on volume for each unlawful tip.

A large proportion of such locations are in rural settings, frequently concealed, and on land that should be farm property.

Organised Enterprise

Law enforcement say numerous are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding far less than legitimate firms to take and bury rubbish.

Firms have to incur gate fees to use legitimate waste facilities, depending on the quantity and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Initial operations to clear the Kidlington area dump commenced in recent weeks due to fears over the risk of combustion and the impact that would have on the close-by major road.

A private waste clearance company has been awarded the job to handle the location over the coming 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's environment division commented that the authority would be aiming to recover the remediation expenses under asset recovery legislation from any party ultimately convicted at the termination of its current case.

She noted that this week's arrests would help "push the probe forward" and allow the agency to "follow more avenues to determine in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful site at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and we share the local frustration at this terrible crime," she stated.

A cabinet minister welcomed the detentions, adding: "The unlawful deposit of rubbish at the site is utterly appalling and has led to significant harm to the natural world and anguish to the local community.

"The administration is pledged to eradicating this kind of illegal activity throughout the country, by boosting funds to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and implementing tougher controls and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The arrests were executed on the specified day by agents from a specialist crime squad and follow an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was released pending additional investigations.