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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in relation with the massive mound of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior report which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips across the country of England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the regulatory body commented that the arrests were for ecological and financial violations and were a "key step" in ongoing inquiries. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what seems to be processed domestic rubbish, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and other domestic objects.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at least 11 of which hold over 20,000 tonnes of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual number of such major dumps is probably to be larger, as the environment authority has in the past acknowledged it does not possess data on volume for each unlawful site.

The majority such locations are in rural settings, typically concealed, and on land that should be arable land.

Organized Operations

Police state a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by demanding much less than lawful companies to take and dispose of garbage.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the volume and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Initial operations to clean up the Kidlington area dump began in recent weeks amid concerns over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A private waste removal company has been awarded the task to deal with the area over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's regulatory unit said that the agency would be aiming to recoup the remediation funds under confiscation laws from anyone ultimately found guilty at the termination of its current investigation.

She added that these arrests would help "push the probe forward" and enable officials to "investigate more avenues to ascertain in detail what happened and who was involved".

"The unlawful site at the site was an appalling and intentional affront on our ecology and we share the public's outrage at this egregious act," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the actions, adding: "The illegal tipping of waste at this location is appalling and has caused substantial detriment to the natural world and distress to the local population.

"Our administration is pledged to eradicating this kind of illegal activity in the nation, by increasing funds to tackle illegal dumping, employing more personnel and enacting stricter measures and sanctions for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a specialist crime unit and are in addition to an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was released awaiting further investigations.