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Two men have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

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

These detentions follow a recent report which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized sites across England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environmental body stated that the detentions were for environmental and financial offences and were a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to contain around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of garbage is made up of what seems to be treated residential refuse, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tires and other domestic objects.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall figure of such major sites is likely to be greater, as the environment authority has in the past stated it does not maintain records on weight for each illegal tip.

The majority sites are in countryside areas, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm property.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement report many are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating money by charging far less than licensed firms to take and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to incur gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Preparation operations to clean up the Kidlington dump began in recent weeks following concerns over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted clean-up firm has been granted the job to handle the area over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the government regulatory division said that the body would be seeking to recoup the clean-up costs under confiscation acts from anyone convicted at the end of its active case.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "move the probe forward" and permit officials to "investigate more leads to understand exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"This illegal site at this location was an atrocious and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the public's anger at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A senior representative praised the detentions, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has led to substantial damage to the environment and upset to the local community.

"Our authorities is committed to eradicating this kind of illegal activity across the nation, by boosting financing to tackle illegal dumping, employing more staff and implementing tougher measures and sanctions for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime unit and come after an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was released pending further enquiries.