Two individuals have been arrested as part of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire.
Officials stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in relation with the enormous pile of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.
These arrests occur a week after a prior report which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 illegal sites in England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.
A official for the regulatory authorities commented that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "vital step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been released on bail.
The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to hold about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.
This heap of waste is consists of what appears to be processed domestic waste, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household objects.
It represents just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps across England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of waste. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.
The actual figure of such larger locations is expected to be greater, as the regulatory authority has in the past stated it does not maintain information on volume for every unauthorized site.
Most such locations are in rural settings, frequently concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.
Law enforcement say numerous are run by organised crime gangs, who are making money by charging far less than legitimate companies to accept and landfill garbage.
Firms have to incur site fees to use licensed waste facilities, based on the amount and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.
Preparation operations to remove the affected dump began recently due to concerns over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.
A commercial clean-up firm has been granted the contract to deal with the location over the next 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.
An investigations officer for the national environmental crime division said that the agency would be aiming to claim back the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from anyone ultimately found guilty at the end of its current case.
She noted that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and enable the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand precisely what occurred and who was involved".
"This unauthorized dump at this location was an shocking and intentional attack on our ecology and officials share the public's anger at this horrific offence," she stated.
A government minister praised the arrests, adding: "The unlawful deposit of garbage at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has led to substantial detriment to the environment and anguish to the surrounding residents.
"The government is committed to eradicating this kind of criminality in the country, by increasing resources to tackle environmental crime, employing more staff and implementing stricter measures and fines for those who violate the law."
The detentions were executed on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated serious crime team and come after an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was let go pending further inquiries.
