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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in connection with the massive heap of rubbish tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a prior report which exposed the presence of in excess of 500 illegal sites across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental agency said that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to hold around 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what looks to be processed domestic refuse, shredded plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and other everyday articles.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized tips throughout England, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual figure of such bigger locations is probably to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously indicated it does not possess information on tonnage for every illegal site.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural areas, often out of sight, and on land that should be farm property.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement say numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are making profit by demanding significantly less than legitimate operators to accept and dispose of garbage.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, based on the quantity and nature of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Anger

Preparation operations to remove the affected site began in recent weeks amid worries over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A private clean-up contractor has been granted the task to handle the location over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the government environment unit stated that the authority would be seeking to recover the clearance funds under confiscation laws from any party ultimately found guilty at the termination of its current inquiry.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and enable the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to understand precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"This unauthorized tip at the site was an appalling and deliberate attack on our environment and we share the public's outrage at this egregious act," she said.

A cabinet minister praised the arrests, commenting: "This unlawful dumping of waste at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant detriment to the ecology and distress to the local community.

"Our administration is dedicated to stamping out this category of illegal activity in the nation, by increasing funds to address environmental crime, recruiting more officers and enacting more severe controls and penalties for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional serious crime unit and are in addition to an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford region in last November. He was released subject to further inquiries.