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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in relation with the enormous mound of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests follow a previous investigation which exposed the existence of in excess of 500 unlawful tips across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body said that the apprehensions were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and were a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Situation

The dump in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to hold around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is composed of what looks to be processed domestic rubbish, shredded plastics, polystyrene, tires and assorted domestic articles.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal dumps throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger sites is likely to be greater, as the regulatory agency has previously indicated it does not hold records on volume for every unlawful site.

The majority these sites are in countryside areas, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural land.

Organized Activity

Law enforcement say many are managed by criminal organizations, who are earning money by demanding much less than licensed firms to take and bury garbage.

Businesses have to incur disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the volume and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Outrage

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington site commenced recently amid fears over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been given the contract to deal with the area over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national regulatory team stated that the body would be aiming to recover the clearance costs under confiscation laws from any individual found guilty at the conclusion of its active case.

She further stated that this week's detentions would help "move the probe forward" and allow officials to "follow more leads to determine in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated affront on our environment and officials empathize with the community's anger at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A cabinet representative supported the actions, stating: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at this location is disgraceful and has caused significant detriment to the environment and upset to the surrounding residents.

"The government is dedicated to eradicating this kind of crime across the country, by augmenting resources to combat illegal dumping, employing more staff and enacting more severe checks and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The arrests were executed on the specified day by officers from a specialist organised crime squad and follow an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was released pending further inquiries.