Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.
Officials stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in relation with the huge heap of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.
These detentions come after a recent revelation which revealed the existence of over 500 illegal sites in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.
A representative for the regulatory body said that the apprehensions were for ecological and proceeds of crime offences and were a "key step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been let go on pre-trial release.
The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to house approximately 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.
This heap of rubbish is consists of what seems to be treated domestic refuse, fragmented plastics, polystyrene, tyres and other household objects.
It is just one of 517 unlawful tips throughout England, at least 11 of which contain over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. They include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.
The total figure of such larger dumps is expected to be greater, as the regulatory agency has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain records on tonnage for each unauthorized tip.
A large proportion of such locations are in countryside settings, frequently hidden, and on land that should be farm land.
Authorities report numerous are run by criminal organizations, who are making money by charging much less than legitimate companies to accept and dispose of rubbish.
Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the volume and type of material they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.
Preparatory work to remove the Kidlington dump started recently following worries over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.
A private clean-up contractor has been granted the task to handle the area over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.
An compliance official for the government environment unit stated that the authority would be looking to recover the clearance costs under confiscation legislation from anyone prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing inquiry.
She noted that the recent detentions would help "drive the probe forward" and enable the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what occurred and who was involved".
"The unauthorized tip at the site was an appalling and calculated assault on our ecology and officials share the community's outrage at this horrific crime," she said.
A senior minister welcomed the arrests, adding: "This illegal dumping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has caused significant harm to the ecology and upset to the surrounding residents.
"Our administration is committed to eradicating this category of crime across the nation, by increasing funds to combat environmental crime, recruiting more officers and implementing stricter controls and sanctions for those who break the law."
The arrests were executed on a recent Thursday by personnel from a specialist serious crime team and are in addition to an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in last November. He was let go subject to further investigations.
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