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

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive mound of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a prior investigation which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 illegal tips throughout England, including at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental body said that the arrests were for environmental and financial offences and represented a "vital step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold about 21,000 tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is consists of what seems to be processed household waste, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, tires and other household items.

It constitutes just a single of 517 illegal tips in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger dumps is probably to be higher, as the regulatory agency has in the past stated it does not maintain data on weight for all illegal dump.

Most such locations are in countryside areas, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Police report a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are making cash by charging much less than licensed operators to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to pay site fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the volume and type of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Preparatory efforts to remove the Kidlington location commenced earlier this month due to fears over the threat of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by highway.

A private waste clearance contractor has been given the job to handle the area over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the national environment division stated that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clean-up costs under confiscation laws from any party successfully found guilty at the termination of its current case.

She further stated that these detentions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "pursue more leads to determine exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"This unauthorized site at the site was an appalling and deliberate assault on our environment and we share the community's anger at this egregious crime," she said.

A senior official praised the arrests, commenting: "This unlawful deposit of waste at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has caused significant harm to the ecology and distress to the nearby community.

"The administration is dedicated to eliminating this category of illegal activity in the UK, by augmenting resources to tackle waste crime, employing more personnel and enacting stricter controls and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The detentions were made on the specified day by agents from a specialist crime unit and follow an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was set free pending further enquiries.