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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tons of refuse in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the massive mound of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a prior revelation which exposed the presence of more than 500 illegal tips across England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory body commented that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering offences and constituted a "crucial step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been released on bail.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of garbage is consists of what seems to be treated residential waste, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted everyday articles.

It is just one example of 517 illegal dumps throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall number of such bigger sites is expected to be greater, as the environment body has earlier stated it does not maintain records on volume for all unauthorized site.

Most such locations are in countryside locations, frequently concealed, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Organized Operations

Authorities state a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by charging much less than legitimate firms to accept and bury garbage.

Companies have to incur disposal fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the amount and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Outrage

Initial operations to clear the affected dump started recently due to fears over the potential of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been given the task to deal with the location over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national environment division said that the authority would be seeking to claim back the remediation funds under asset recovery legislation from any individual ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its active investigation.

She added that these detentions would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more avenues to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unauthorized dump at this location was an atrocious and intentional affront on our ecology and officials empathize with the local outrage at this horrific crime," she said.

A cabinet official praised the arrests, commenting: "This unauthorized tipping of rubbish at the site is appalling and has resulted in significant detriment to the ecology and anguish to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is committed to stamping out this category of illegal activity across the UK, by augmenting funds to address environmental crime, hiring more personnel and introducing stricter controls and fines for those who flout the law."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime unit and come after an previous arrest of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in November. He was set free pending more inquiries.