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Two men have been detained as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in association with the enormous heap of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a prior investigation which revealed the presence of more than 500 unauthorized dumps in England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory agency stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "crucial step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of garbage is consists of what looks to be processed domestic waste, shredded plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and other everyday objects.

It is just a single of 517 illegal sites in England, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of rubbish. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger sites is likely to be larger, as the environment agency has earlier indicated it does not hold data on tonnage for each unlawful site.

Most sites are in rural areas, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Organized Activity

Authorities say many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by asking for much less than licensed operators to receive and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to be liable for gate fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the volume and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Outrage

Preparation efforts to clean up the Kidlington area dump started recently due to concerns over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted clean-up contractor has been awarded the contract to deal with the area over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's environment unit said that the agency would be aiming to claim back the clean-up expenses under asset recovery laws from any party ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that these detentions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "investigate more leads to determine exactly what happened and who was involved".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an atrocious and intentional assault on our environment and officials empathize with the local frustration at this egregious crime," she stated.

A senior official supported the arrests, commenting: "This illegal deposit of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has caused significant damage to the environment and upset to the local population.

"The government is pledged to eradicating this category of criminality throughout the country, by increasing resources to combat illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and implementing stricter controls and fines for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by officers from a regional serious crime unit and follow an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in November. He was let go pending more enquiries.