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Two men have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of several thousand of tons of waste in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in association with the massive pile of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous revelation which uncovered the operation of more than 500 unlawful sites throughout England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory body said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial offences and were a "crucial step" in active investigations. Both men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is thought to house around 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of rubbish is consists of what looks to be treated domestic waste, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted domestic articles.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total figure of such larger sites is probably to be greater, as the regulatory body has previously indicated it does not hold data on tonnage for each unauthorized tip.

The majority sites are in agricultural areas, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be arable land.

Organised Activity

Police state numerous are managed by organized crime groups, who are generating money by charging significantly less than lawful operators to take and bury garbage.

Firms have to pay site fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington area dump started earlier this month due to concerns over the risk of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial waste removal firm has been given the task to handle the location over the coming 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the national regulatory division stated that the agency would be aiming to recoup the clearance funds under asset recovery acts from any party successfully found guilty at the termination of its active investigation.

She noted that the recent apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "follow more avenues to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"The unauthorized tip at this location was an appalling and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the public's anger at this terrible act," she said.

A government minister praised the detentions, adding: "The illegal deposit of waste at this location is disgraceful and has led to substantial harm to the environment and distress to the nearby population.

"The authorities is dedicated to eradicating this category of illegal activity throughout the nation, by boosting financing to combat environmental crime, employing more officers and introducing more severe controls and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated serious crime unit and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was released awaiting further enquiries.