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Two men have been arrested as a component of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the massive mound of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a recent revelation which exposed the existence of more than 500 illegal tips throughout the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment agency said that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "vital step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to hold about 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of garbage is composed of what looks to be sorted household waste, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and various household articles.

It is just one of 517 unlawful sites in England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual figure of such larger dumps is likely to be higher, as the environment agency has earlier acknowledged it does not maintain data on volume for each unauthorized tip.

Most sites are in rural locations, often concealed, and on land that should be agricultural ground.

Criminal Operations

Police say numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating profit by charging far less than lawful firms to accept and landfill waste.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use licensed waste facilities, based on the volume and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Outrage

Preparation operations to remove the affected dump started earlier this month due to fears over the risk of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been given the task to remediate the location over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the national regulatory division said that the agency would be aiming to claim back the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime legislation from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing case.

She noted that this week's detentions would help "move the probe forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more avenues to understand precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal dump at Kidlington was an shocking and deliberate assault on our environment and the authorities empathize with the community's anger at this horrific crime," she said.

A senior official supported the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized deposit of garbage at the site is appalling and has led to significant damage to the ecology and upset to the local residents.

"The administration is dedicated to eliminating this type of criminality throughout the nation, by augmenting resources to address environmental crime, hiring more staff and implementing tougher checks and sanctions for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by agents from a dedicated crime unit and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was set free pending additional enquiries.