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Two men have been arrested as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous mound of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions follow a recent investigation which uncovered the operation of over 500 unauthorized dumps in England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment authorities stated that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering crimes and represented a "vital step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to contain about 21,000 tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what looks to be sorted household refuse, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and other domestic items.

It represents just one of 517 illegal dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total figure of such bigger dumps is probably to be larger, as the environmental body has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain records on volume for all unlawful tip.

Most such locations are in agricultural areas, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement report numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are earning money by demanding far less than lawful operators to accept and dispose of garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Anger

Initial efforts to clear the Kidlington location started earlier this month following fears over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A private clean-up contractor has been awarded the task to handle the area over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national regulatory unit stated that the agency would be looking to claim back the remediation funds under proceeds of crime acts from any individual found guilty at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She further stated that these arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow officials to "follow more avenues to understand in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"The illegal tip at this location was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and officials share the local anger at this egregious offence," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the arrests, stating: "The unauthorized deposit of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has caused significant detriment to the natural world and upset to the nearby community.

"The authorities is pledged to eradicating this category of illegal activity in the nation, by augmenting financing to combat environmental crime, hiring more staff and implementing tougher controls and fines for those who break the rules."

The apprehensions were made on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional crime squad and come after an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in November. He was released pending more enquiries.