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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an investigation into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in association with the huge heap of rubbish tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a prior revelation which exposed the operation of in excess of 500 illegal sites throughout England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial offences and were a "crucial step" in active investigations. Both men have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Problem

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

This heap of waste is consists of what appears to be sorted domestic rubbish, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tires and assorted everyday items.

It is just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such larger locations is likely to be higher, as the environmental body has in the past indicated it does not possess information on volume for each unlawful dump.

Most such locations are in rural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural ground.

Organised Enterprise

Law enforcement report a significant number are run by criminal organizations, who are generating money by charging far less than licensed companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the volume and type of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Frustration

Initial operations to clean up the affected site started earlier this month amid concerns over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A commercial waste removal company has been given the job to deal with the site over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the national environment unit commented that the body would be seeking to recoup the clean-up costs under confiscation legislation from any individual prosecuted at the end of its current case.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and permit officials to "pursue more leads to determine in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate assault on our ecology and officials empathize with the public's anger at this horrific offence," she said.

A government representative supported the arrests, commenting: "The unlawful deposit of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused considerable damage to the ecology and anguish to the local population.

"The authorities is pledged to stamping out this kind of illegal activity throughout the nation, by boosting resources to combat illegal dumping, employing more personnel and implementing more severe controls and penalties for those who violate the law."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime unit and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was let go pending additional inquiries.