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Two men have been detained as an element of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the enormous mound of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a prior investigation which revealed the operation of over 500 unlawful sites in England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment authorities stated that the detentions were for environment-related and financial offences and represented a "key step" in active inquiries. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to contain about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of waste is composed of what seems to be treated domestic refuse, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and various domestic items.

It represents just one example of 517 unauthorized sites throughout England, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tons of garbage. They include a 280,000-tonne location 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 larger dumps is expected to be larger, as the environmental authority has previously indicated it does not hold data on volume for every unlawful dump.

Most sites are in rural locations, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Organised Operations

Police report numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by asking for far less than legitimate operators to accept and bury rubbish.

Companies have to pay disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Frustration

Preparatory operations to remove the affected location commenced earlier this month following fears over the potential of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted waste removal company has been given the task to remediate the location over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's environment unit stated that the authority would be seeking to claim back the clearance expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from any party ultimately found guilty at the termination of its ongoing case.

She added that this week's arrests would help "move the probe forward" and enable officials to "investigate more leads to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was involved".

"The unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated attack on our environment and officials share the local anger at this terrible crime," she stated.

A cabinet official praised the detentions, commenting: "This illegal tipping of garbage at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in significant harm to the ecology and anguish to the nearby community.

"The authorities is dedicated to stamping out this category of crime across the UK, by increasing financing to combat waste crime, recruiting more staff and implementing stricter checks and fines for those who flout the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by agents from a regional serious crime squad and follow an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was set free subject to additional investigations.