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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the huge pile of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous revelation which exposed the presence of more than 500 unauthorized sites in England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental agency commented that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering offences and were a "key step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Situation

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

This pile of waste is consists of what looks to be sorted household rubbish, fragmented plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted everyday articles.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal dumps in England, at least 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger sites is probably to be greater, as the environment agency has in the past acknowledged it does not hold records on volume for all unlawful tip.

The majority these sites are in agricultural areas, often hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural property.

Criminal Activity

Authorities report a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by demanding much less than legitimate operators to take and bury waste.

Businesses have to incur gate fees to use licensed disposal sites, contingent on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington location commenced recently following fears over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste removal firm has been granted the task to handle the site over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the country's environment unit said that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up costs under asset recovery laws from any party successfully convicted at the conclusion of its current inquiry.

She added that this week's arrests would help "move the investigation forward" and permit officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and we share the local outrage at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A senior minister supported the detentions, adding: "This unlawful tipping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has resulted in substantial detriment to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding population.

"Our government is dedicated to stamping out this category of criminality in the nation, by increasing funds to address environmental crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing more severe checks and sanctions for those who violate the rules."

The detentions were executed on the specified day by agents from a dedicated serious crime team and follow an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was released subject to additional enquiries.