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Two men have been arrested as an element of an probe into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous pile of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests occur a week after a recent report which exposed the existence of over 500 unlawful tips across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment body stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial crimes and were a "vital step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Size of the Situation

The dump in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain about 21,000 tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what seems to be processed household waste, chopped up plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and other domestic objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized sites across England, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger sites is probably to be greater, as the environmental agency has earlier acknowledged it does not hold records on tonnage for every unlawful dump.

The majority such locations are in rural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Criminal Enterprise

Police report many are managed by organized crime groups, who are making cash by demanding significantly less than licensed firms to accept and bury rubbish.

Firms have to incur site fees to use lawful landfill sites, based on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Initial operations to remove the Kidlington area dump commenced in recent weeks due to fears over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been awarded the job to handle the site over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government regulatory unit said that the body would be seeking to recover the clearance funds under asset recovery legislation from anyone successfully convicted at the conclusion of its current inquiry.

She added that these apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and allow officials to "follow more leads to ascertain exactly what happened and who was involved".

"This unauthorized dump at this location was an shocking and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and officials empathize with the local frustration at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A government representative praised the arrests, commenting: "This illegal deposit of rubbish at this location is utterly appalling and has caused substantial damage to the environment and distress to the local community.

"Our government is committed to stamping out this type of illegal activity across the country, by augmenting resources to address waste crime, recruiting more staff and introducing stricter controls and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by agents from a dedicated organised crime unit and follow an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was let go pending further enquiries.