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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in connection with the enormous mound of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions follow a recent investigation which revealed the presence of over 500 unlawful tips across the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment body stated that the arrests were for ecological and money laundering offences and were a "key step" in active probes. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to contain around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what appears to be sorted household refuse, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various domestic articles.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal sites across England, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger sites is probably to be larger, as the environmental body has earlier indicated it does not hold information on weight for each illegal site.

Most such locations are in agricultural settings, often out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural property.

Organized Activity

Authorities say many are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by demanding significantly less than licensed operators to accept and bury waste.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the volume and type of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Outrage

Preparatory operations to clear the Kidlington area location started earlier this month following concerns over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

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

An compliance officer for the national environment division commented that the body would be seeking to recoup the clearance costs under confiscation legislation from any individual found guilty at the termination of its active investigation.

She noted that the recent detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "pursue more leads to determine in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized dump at the site was an atrocious and intentional assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the community's outrage at this horrific offence," she stated.

A government official welcomed the arrests, stating: "This unlawful deposit of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has led to significant detriment to the ecology and upset to the nearby residents.

"The government is committed to stamping out this category of criminality throughout the country, by increasing funds to tackle illegal dumping, hiring more personnel and introducing stricter measures and sanctions for those who break the law."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by agents from a dedicated crime unit and follow an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in last November. He was released pending more inquiries.