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Two men have been arrested as part of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of tonnes of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in connection with the huge mound of waste dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a prior investigation which exposed the existence of over 500 illegal tips in England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental authorities commented that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain around 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of waste is made up of what seems to be treated residential waste, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household articles.

It represents just one of 517 illegal tips throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total number of such bigger dumps is probably to be higher, as the environmental authority has in the past stated it does not maintain data on weight for all unauthorized tip.

The majority these sites are in countryside locations, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement state numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are generating money by charging significantly less than lawful companies to receive and bury waste.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Anger

Preparation operations to clear the Kidlington area dump commenced in recent weeks amid worries over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

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

An compliance officer for the national environmental crime team stated that the body would be looking to recoup the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from anyone convicted at the conclusion of its current case.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable authorities to "follow more avenues to understand exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"The illegal tip at this location was an atrocious and intentional attack on our environment and the authorities share the local anger at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A government representative supported the arrests, stating: "The illegal deposit of rubbish at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in significant harm to the environment and upset to the local population.

"Our administration is pledged to eradicating this category of crime across the country, by augmenting financing to tackle illegal dumping, employing more staff and enacting tougher checks and fines for those who break the rules."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by officers from a regional crime squad and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was let go pending additional investigations.