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Two men have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive heap of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous revelation which revealed the operation of over 500 illegal dumps throughout England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environmental agency commented that the detentions were for ecological and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "vital step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The dump in near Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to house approximately 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is made up of what looks to be processed household rubbish, chopped up plastics, Styrofoam, tires and other household objects.

It constitutes just one example of 517 illegal dumps across England, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total figure of such larger dumps is probably to be greater, as the environment agency has previously stated it does not hold data on volume for all illegal tip.

Most such locations are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that should be farm land.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities report a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are making money by charging far less than lawful firms to accept and bury garbage.

Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the quantity and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Outrage

Initial work to remove the Kidlington dump started recently due to fears over the risk of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been awarded the task to handle the location over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's environment team said that the agency would be aiming to claim back the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime laws from anyone successfully found guilty at the conclusion of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that the recent arrests would help "push the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "follow more avenues to understand in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The illegal dump at the site was an shocking and intentional assault on our environment and officials share the community's outrage at this egregious crime," she stated.

A cabinet minister welcomed the actions, adding: "The illegal deposit of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding community.

"The administration is pledged to eliminating this type of crime across the UK, by increasing resources to address environmental crime, recruiting more officers and enacting tougher controls and penalties for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were made on the specified day by personnel from a specialist organised crime team and are in addition to an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was released pending more investigations.