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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the huge mound of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a previous investigation which uncovered the existence of over 500 unauthorized tips in England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "vital step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been released on bail.

Scale of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is estimated to contain about 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of garbage is made up of what seems to be processed residential waste, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and various household items.

It represents just a single of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger locations is likely to be larger, as the regulatory authority has earlier acknowledged it does not hold data on weight for all unauthorized dump.

A large proportion of these sites are in agricultural areas, typically hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural land.

Organized Operations

Police say many are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by charging significantly less than licensed firms to receive and bury garbage.

Companies have to pay disposal fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the quantity and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Initial operations to clean up the Kidlington location commenced recently due to concerns over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been granted the contract to deal with the site over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national environmental crime team commented that the body would be seeking to recoup the clean-up expenses under asset recovery laws from any individual ultimately found guilty at the end of its current case.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to determine exactly what transpired and who was involved".

"The unauthorized tip at the site was an shocking and deliberate affront on our environment and officials empathize with the public's outrage at this horrific offence," she said.

A government representative praised the detentions, stating: "The illegal dumping of garbage at the site is appalling and has caused significant detriment to the environment and anguish to the surrounding community.

"The government is pledged to eradicating this type of illegal activity across the nation, by increasing financing to address waste crime, employing more personnel and implementing stricter measures and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The arrests were made on Thursday by agents from a specialist organised crime team and follow an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was set free subject to more investigations.