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Two individuals have been detained as part of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous pile of waste tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests come after a prior report which revealed the existence of over 500 unlawful dumps in England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental authorities said that the detentions were for environmental and financial offences and constituted a "vital step" in active investigations. Both men have been let go on bail.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of waste is consists of what looks to be processed residential rubbish, chopped up plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted household articles.

It represents just a single of 517 unlawful tips across the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total figure of such major locations is probably to be greater, as the regulatory body has earlier stated it does not maintain data on tonnage for every unauthorized site.

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

Organised Operations

Law enforcement report numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by charging much less than lawful firms to take and dispose of garbage.

Businesses have to incur gate fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the volume and nature of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Preparation operations to clean up the Kidlington area location began in recent weeks following fears over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been given the contract to deal with the site over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's regulatory division commented that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up costs under confiscation legislation from any party prosecuted at the termination of its active case.

She added that the recent detentions would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more leads to determine in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized site at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate affront on our environment and the authorities share the local anger at this egregious offence," she remarked.

A cabinet official welcomed the actions, adding: "The unlawful tipping of rubbish at the site is utterly appalling and has caused substantial harm to the natural world and distress to the nearby residents.

"Our administration is committed to stamping out this category of illegal activity in the UK, by boosting financing to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more staff and implementing tougher measures and penalties for those who flout the regulations."

The detentions were made on the specified day by agents from a regional serious crime unit and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was set free subject to more investigations.