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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in relation with the massive mound of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a previous report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized sites in the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body said that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering violations and were a "key step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is composed of what looks to be sorted residential refuse, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted domestic items.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unlawful tips throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 tonnes of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger locations is expected to be larger, as the regulatory body has in the past indicated it does not maintain information on volume for every unauthorized dump.

Most such locations are in countryside locations, frequently concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Organized Operations

Law enforcement report a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by charging much less than lawful companies to receive and dispose of waste.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Outrage

Preparatory efforts to clear the affected dump started in recent weeks following fears over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial waste clearance contractor has been awarded the job to deal with the area over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's environmental crime division stated that the agency would be seeking to recoup the clean-up expenses under confiscation legislation from anyone successfully prosecuted at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more leads to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was implicated".

"This illegal tip at the site was an shocking and calculated attack on our ecology and the authorities understand the local anger at this terrible act," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the arrests, commenting: "This illegal tipping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial detriment to the natural world and upset to the nearby population.

"Our administration is dedicated to eliminating this type of illegal activity across the country, by augmenting resources to address illegal dumping, hiring more staff and introducing stricter checks and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated crime team and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was released awaiting more investigations.