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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of thousands of tons of rubbish in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in relation with the enormous heap of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a previous revelation which revealed the existence of over 500 illegal sites throughout England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory body stated that the arrests were for environmental and financial violations and were a "key step" in continuing probes. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Scale of the Situation

The dump in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to hold around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of garbage is composed of what seems to be treated household waste, chopped up plastic items, polystyrene, tyres and various everyday articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 illegal sites in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual number of such larger locations is expected to be higher, as the environmental authority has earlier stated it does not hold records on volume for each illegal site.

The majority sites are in countryside settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural land.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities state many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by demanding far less than legitimate firms to accept and bury garbage.

Firms have to pay site fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the amount and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Initial work to remove the Kidlington area location commenced earlier this month amid concerns over the risk of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A private clean-up firm has been given the contract to remediate the location over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's environment division commented that the agency would be seeking to claim back the remediation costs under asset recovery legislation from any party convicted at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She noted that this week's detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and enable officials to "investigate more avenues to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This illegal dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our environment and the authorities understand the local frustration at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A cabinet official welcomed the arrests, commenting: "This unlawful dumping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has led to substantial damage to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding community.

"Our administration is dedicated to stamping out this category of crime throughout the nation, by boosting financing to address illegal dumping, hiring more staff and implementing more severe measures and fines for those who flout the law."

The detentions were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional crime team and come after an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in November. He was released pending more enquiries.