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Two men have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the huge pile of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These arrests follow a recent revelation which uncovered the presence of over 500 unlawful tips in England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency stated that the arrests were for environmental and financial violations and were a "vital step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to house around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of waste is composed of what seems to be sorted domestic refuse, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tires and various household articles.

It represents just one example of 517 unlawful sites in England, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such larger dumps is expected to be greater, as the environmental body has in the past indicated it does not possess information on weight for each illegal site.

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

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement report a significant number are run by criminal organizations, who are generating money by demanding much less than licensed companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use legitimate waste facilities, based on the volume and nature of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Initial efforts to clean up the Kidlington area dump started in recent weeks due to concerns over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby major road.

A private waste clearance company has been given the job to deal with the location over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's environment division said that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clearance costs under asset recovery laws from any party prosecuted at the end of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that these arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and enable authorities to "pursue more avenues to ascertain precisely what happened and who was involved".

"This illegal tip at the site was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our environment and officials empathize with the public's frustration at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A cabinet official supported the arrests, adding: "The illegal deposit of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has led to significant harm to the environment and anguish to the nearby residents.

"Our administration is pledged to stamping out this kind of criminality across the nation, by boosting funds to address waste crime, employing more staff and introducing more severe measures and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by agents from a regional organised crime unit and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in November. He was set free pending further investigations.