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Two men have been detained as a component of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in association with the massive pile of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a prior report which exposed the presence of over 500 unauthorized sites throughout England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment authorities commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "key step" in ongoing inquiries. The apprehended men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is estimated to contain around 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is made up of what seems to be processed residential refuse, chopped up plastic materials, polystyrene, automobile tires and other household objects.

It is just one of 517 illegal sites throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall figure of such larger sites is likely to be higher, as the environment authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold data on weight for all unlawful tip.

The majority such locations are in countryside locations, often hidden, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Organized Activity

Police report a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are making money by charging significantly less than licensed firms to accept and bury rubbish.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and nature of material they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Preparation operations to clear the affected site started recently following concerns over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A private waste removal contractor has been given the task to handle the area over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environmental crime division said that the agency would be looking to claim back the remediation costs under confiscation laws from any individual successfully convicted at the conclusion of its current inquiry.

She added that this week's detentions would help "push the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an shocking and calculated affront on our ecology and we share the local outrage at this terrible crime," she said.

A senior representative welcomed the arrests, stating: "This unauthorized tipping of garbage at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has led to considerable detriment to the environment and distress to the nearby population.

"Our government is committed to eradicating this kind of criminality across the nation, by boosting financing to tackle waste crime, hiring more staff and enacting tougher controls and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by personnel from a specialist organised crime unit and come after an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was released pending additional inquiries.