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Two men have been detained as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous heap of rubbish tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a previous investigation which exposed the presence of more than 500 unauthorized dumps across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body commented that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering violations and represented a "vital step" in continuing probes. Both men have been set free on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is composed of what looks to be treated household refuse, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday articles.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps throughout England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual amount of such major dumps is likely to be greater, as the environment agency has previously indicated it does not hold information on tonnage for every unlawful site.

A large proportion of these sites are in agricultural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Organized Operations

Police report numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are earning profit by charging much less than licensed firms to receive and bury garbage.

Firms have to be liable for site fees to use lawful waste facilities, based on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Preparatory operations to remove the Kidlington area dump started recently amid concerns over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial waste removal company has been awarded the task to remediate the area over the next 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national regulatory team said that the authority would be seeking to recoup the remediation funds under asset recovery legislation from anyone convicted at the termination of its active inquiry.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "follow more leads to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unlawful tip at the site was an appalling and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and we empathize with the public's anger at this egregious act," she stated.

A government minister praised the arrests, commenting: "This illegal tipping of rubbish at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable damage to the ecology and anguish to the nearby community.

"The authorities is pledged to eradicating this type of illegal activity across the nation, by augmenting funds to combat illegal dumping, employing more personnel and introducing stricter controls and penalties for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional crime unit and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in November. He was set free awaiting additional enquiries.