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A pair of individuals have been arrested as an element of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in relation with the enormous pile of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior revelation which revealed the existence of over 500 unauthorized tips in England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environmental authorities commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial offences and constituted a "key step" in continuing investigations. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to contain about 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is consists of what seems to be sorted domestic waste, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and other household items.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful tips across England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. These feature a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total number of such major dumps is probably to be greater, as the environmental authority has earlier acknowledged it does not hold information on weight for every unauthorized tip.

The majority sites are in countryside areas, often hidden, and on land that should be farm property.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement report many are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating cash by charging significantly less than licensed firms to take and dispose of garbage.

Companies have to be liable for disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the volume and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Anger

Preparation efforts to remove the Kidlington site commenced earlier this month amid worries over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A private waste clearance contractor has been given the task to remediate the location over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the government environmental crime division stated that the body would be looking to recoup the remediation costs under proceeds of crime laws from anyone prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing case.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "move the probe forward" and enable the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"The unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and we empathize with the local anger at this terrible act," she remarked.

A cabinet representative praised the arrests, stating: "The illegal dumping of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has caused significant detriment to the ecology and distress to the nearby residents.

"Our administration is committed to stamping out this category of crime throughout the nation, by boosting financing to address waste crime, recruiting more staff and implementing stricter controls and penalties for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime squad and come after an previous arrest of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in November. He was set free subject to more enquiries.