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Two men have been arrested as an element of an probe into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the huge pile of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a recent revelation which exposed the presence of more than 500 illegal dumps across England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities stated that the apprehensions were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and were a "key step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Scale of the Issue

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to contain approximately 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what appears to be processed household refuse, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various household items.

It is just a single of 517 illegal tips throughout the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total figure of such bigger sites is expected to be larger, as the regulatory body has previously acknowledged it does not possess data on tonnage for each unauthorized dump.

Most sites are in countryside areas, typically out of sight, and on land that should be farm land.

Organized Operations

Police report numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are generating cash by charging much less than legitimate companies to take and bury garbage.

Companies have to incur site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, based on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Preparation efforts to remove the Kidlington area dump started in recent weeks due to concerns over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the contract to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the government regulatory unit stated that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up costs under confiscation acts from any individual found guilty at the conclusion of its current case.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more leads to determine in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"The unlawful tip at this location was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our ecology and officials share the local outrage at this terrible crime," she said.

A senior minister welcomed the actions, commenting: "This illegal dumping of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has caused considerable harm to the ecology and upset to the nearby population.

"The administration is committed to eradicating this category of crime throughout the nation, by increasing financing to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and implementing stricter controls and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by officers from a dedicated serious crime squad and are in addition to an previous arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in last November. He was let go awaiting additional inquiries.