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Two individuals have been arrested as an element of an probe into the tipping of thousands of tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous pile of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions come after a recent revelation which exposed the operation of in excess of 500 unlawful sites throughout the country of England, including at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities said that the arrests were for environment-related and financial crimes and represented a "crucial step" in continuing probes. Both men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The dump in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to house around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is consists of what appears to be sorted household refuse, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and other household articles.

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

The overall number of such larger sites is expected to be larger, as the environment body has in the past stated it does not possess information on volume for all unauthorized dump.

A large proportion of these sites are in agricultural areas, frequently concealed, and on land that should be arable property.

Criminal Activity

Authorities say a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are generating money by asking for much less than licensed firms to take and bury garbage.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the quantity and nature of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Outrage

Preparation efforts to clear the affected location started recently amid concerns over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A private waste removal contractor has been granted the contract to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the country's regulatory unit said that the authority would be looking to recoup the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime legislation from any party convicted at the termination of its active investigation.

She noted that these arrests would help "push the investigation forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more avenues to understand exactly what happened and who was a party to it".

"This illegal site at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated attack on our ecology and we empathize with the community's anger at this terrible crime," she stated.

A cabinet minister praised the actions, stating: "The illegal tipping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has led to substantial damage to the environment and distress to the local population.

"Our administration is dedicated to stamping out this category of criminality throughout the country, by boosting funds to combat environmental crime, employing more staff and introducing tougher measures and penalties for those who break the rules."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by personnel from a regional serious crime team and are in addition to an prior arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was set free pending additional inquiries.