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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the tipping of many thousands of tonnes of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the huge mound of garbage deposited near Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a prior revelation which exposed the operation of more than 500 unlawful tips in the country of England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environment agency said that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to contain around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is made up of what looks to be sorted residential refuse, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tires and various household objects.

It is just one of 517 unauthorized dumps across the country, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The overall number of such major sites is expected to be larger, as the regulatory agency has in the past indicated it does not possess records on tonnage for each unlawful site.

The majority sites are in agricultural settings, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Organized Activity

Police say many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding much less than legitimate companies to receive and landfill waste.

Firms have to incur gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the volume and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Outrage

Preparatory efforts to remove the Kidlington location began in recent weeks due to worries over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been awarded the contract to deal with the area over the following 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the government environmental crime team stated that the agency would be looking to recover the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime acts from any individual convicted at the termination of its ongoing case.

She further stated that the recent detentions would help "move the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "follow more avenues to determine precisely what happened and who was involved".

"The unauthorized dump at the site was an atrocious and calculated assault on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the public's anger at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the detentions, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant detriment to the environment and upset to the local residents.

"Our administration is pledged to eliminating this kind of crime in the nation, by boosting funds to combat waste crime, hiring more staff and enacting stricter measures and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional serious crime team and come after an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was released subject to more investigations.