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Two men have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in association with the enormous heap of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests come after a recent report which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful sites in the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the regulatory body said that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial violations and constituted a "key step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of rubbish is consists of what looks to be processed residential refuse, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted household items.

It is just a single of 517 illegal dumps throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The overall figure of such larger locations is probably to be larger, as the environment body has previously stated it does not hold records on tonnage for each unauthorized dump.

The majority such locations are in agricultural areas, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Organised Enterprise

Police state many are managed by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by asking for significantly less than lawful firms to receive and bury rubbish.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the quantity and type of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington dump began recently due to concerns over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted waste clearance firm has been given the contract to deal with the location over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the government regulatory unit commented that the body would be looking to claim back the clean-up costs under confiscation acts from anyone successfully convicted at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She noted that this week's detentions would help "drive the probe forward" and allow officials to "follow more avenues to ascertain precisely what happened and who was involved".

"The unauthorized site at the site was an shocking and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the local outrage at this terrible act," she said.

A government representative welcomed the arrests, commenting: "This unlawful deposit of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has led to significant detriment to the environment and anguish to the surrounding community.

"Our administration is dedicated to eradicating this kind of criminality across the UK, by increasing funds to combat illegal dumping, recruiting more staff and introducing stricter measures and fines for those who flout the law."

The arrests were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime unit and follow an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was let go subject to additional investigations.