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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous heap of garbage tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions follow a prior revelation which uncovered the operation of over 500 unlawful tips throughout the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment authorities said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "crucial step" in continuing probes. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to house around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what appears to be sorted residential waste, chopped up plastic items, polystyrene, tyres and other everyday items.

It represents just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps across England, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The overall number of such major sites is expected to be higher, as the environment agency has in the past indicated it does not maintain records on volume for each illegal tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural settings, often hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural land.

Criminal Enterprise

Law enforcement say numerous are run by criminal organizations, who are making cash by charging much less than legitimate companies to receive and landfill rubbish.

Firms have to incur gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Frustration

Initial efforts to clear the Kidlington location began in recent weeks due to concerns over the potential of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted clean-up company has been awarded the contract to remediate the site over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the national environment unit stated that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance expenses under confiscation acts from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its current investigation.

She noted that the recent detentions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow officials to "investigate more lines of inquiry to understand in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"This unlawful dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated affront on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the local anger at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A senior representative praised the detentions, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of waste at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in substantial detriment to the ecology and anguish to the local population.

"The administration is pledged to stamping out this category of crime across the nation, by augmenting financing to combat illegal dumping, recruiting more staff and enacting more severe measures and penalties for those who break the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by officers from a specialist crime squad and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting additional enquiries.