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Two individuals have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the enormous pile of waste dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a prior investigation which revealed the operation of more than 500 unauthorized sites throughout England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities said that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in active investigations. Both men have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what looks to be treated residential waste, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted everyday articles.

It constitutes just one of 517 illegal tips across the country, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual figure of such bigger sites is probably to be greater, as the regulatory body has previously indicated it does not hold records on weight for every unlawful tip.

A large proportion of sites are in rural areas, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be farm ground.

Organised Enterprise

Police say many are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning profit by asking for much less than licensed operators to take and bury garbage.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the amount and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Frustration

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington area site started earlier this month due to concerns over the risk of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste clearance company has been awarded the contract to remediate the location over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the country's environment unit commented that the authority would be seeking to recoup the remediation costs under proceeds of crime laws from any party successfully prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing inquiry.

She noted that this week's detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what transpired and who was implicated".

"This illegal site at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and we share the community's outrage at this terrible act," she said.

A senior official praised the arrests, commenting: "The unauthorized tipping of garbage at the site is disgraceful and has caused significant harm to the ecology and distress to the local community.

"Our government is dedicated to eliminating this kind of illegal activity in the UK, by boosting resources to combat waste crime, employing more staff and enacting more severe measures and sanctions for those who break the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated serious crime team and come after an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was set free subject to more investigations.