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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as part of an inquiry into the tipping of many thousands of tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous pile of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a recent investigation which uncovered the existence of more than 500 illegal dumps throughout the country of England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory body stated that the arrests were for ecological and proceeds of crime offences and were a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. Both men have been let go on bail.

Scale of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to house about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is consists of what looks to be processed household waste, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, tires and various everyday items.

It is just one example of 517 illegal sites across England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of garbage. These encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall number of such bigger sites is expected to be greater, as the regulatory body has previously acknowledged it does not possess records on volume for each illegal tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in countryside settings, typically hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities say many are managed by criminal organizations, who are making cash by charging significantly less than lawful operators to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the amount and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Preparation work to clear the affected site started earlier this month following concerns over the potential of blaze and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private clean-up firm has been awarded the job to handle the location over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's environment division stated that the body would be aiming to recover the remediation funds under proceeds of crime legislation from any individual successfully convicted at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She further stated that these arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and enable authorities to "pursue more avenues to determine precisely what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This illegal site at Kidlington was an atrocious and intentional assault on our ecology and we understand the community's anger at this egregious crime," she said.

A government representative praised the detentions, stating: "The illegal dumping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has led to considerable damage to the ecology and upset to the nearby residents.

"The government is dedicated to eliminating this kind of criminality in the UK, by increasing funds to tackle illegal dumping, hiring more personnel and enacting more severe measures and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime squad and follow an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was let go subject to further enquiries.