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Two men have been arrested as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the huge pile of rubbish tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a recent revelation which exposed the operation of over 500 illegal sites across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory authorities commented that the arrests were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing probes. Both men have been set free on conditional release.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is thought to contain around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what seems to be processed residential rubbish, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tires and various household articles.

It is just one example of 517 illegal tips throughout England, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall number of such major sites is probably to be higher, as the environmental body has in the past indicated it does not possess data on tonnage for each unauthorized site.

Most these sites are in countryside settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Organised Activity

Authorities report a significant number are managed by criminal organizations, who are making cash by charging far less than legitimate companies to receive and landfill waste.

Firms have to pay site fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the volume and category of waste they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Frustration

Preparation operations to clean up the Kidlington area site commenced recently due to fears over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A commercial waste removal firm has been awarded the contract to deal with the site over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the government regulatory unit said that the body would be looking to recover the clearance expenses under asset recovery acts from anyone ultimately found guilty at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She further stated that the recent arrests would help "push the probe forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized site at the site was an appalling and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and we empathize with the local outrage at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A cabinet minister praised the arrests, stating: "The unlawful deposit of garbage at the site is appalling and has led to substantial damage to the ecology and upset to the local population.

"Our government is pledged to eliminating this category of illegal activity in the country, by boosting resources to address illegal dumping, hiring more personnel and enacting more severe measures and sanctions for those who break the regulations."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by officers from a specialist crime team and are in addition to an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was let go awaiting further investigations.