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A pair of individuals have been detained as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the huge mound of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions follow a prior report which uncovered the existence of over 500 unlawful sites in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory body commented that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering crimes and constituted a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The dump in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is believed to hold about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is consists of what seems to be processed household waste, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household items.

It constitutes just one of 517 illegal dumps throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such major dumps is expected to be higher, as the regulatory agency has previously stated it does not hold data on volume for every unlawful tip.

The majority these sites are in rural settings, often hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Organized Operations

Police say a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making money by charging far less than lawful operators to receive and landfill rubbish.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the amount and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Initial work to clean up the affected location started earlier this month following fears over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A private waste removal company has been awarded the task to remediate the location over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's environment division commented that the agency would be aiming to recover the remediation costs under asset recovery laws from anyone ultimately prosecuted at the end of its active case.

She further stated that these apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and enable the agency to "pursue more avenues to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was involved".

"This illegal dump at the site was an appalling and deliberate attack on our environment and officials share the community's frustration at this terrible crime," she stated.

A senior representative welcomed the detentions, commenting: "The illegal dumping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has led to considerable detriment to the environment and anguish to the nearby population.

"The government is dedicated to eradicating this category of crime in the UK, by boosting resources to address illegal dumping, recruiting more staff and enacting more severe measures and fines for those who flout the rules."

The arrests were made on Thursday by agents from a dedicated organised crime unit and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released pending more inquiries.