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A pair of individuals have been detained as part of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

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

These arrests occur a week after a previous revelation which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps throughout the country of England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities said that the detentions were for environmental and financial violations and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is thought to hold around 21,000 tonnes of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what seems to be processed domestic rubbish, chopped up plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and assorted household objects.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such bigger locations is likely to be larger, as the environment body has previously indicated it does not possess information on tonnage for all unlawful tip.

The majority sites are in countryside settings, often concealed, and on land that should be farm ground.

Criminal Operations

Police say a significant number are run by criminal organizations, who are making money by asking for significantly less than legitimate operators to accept and landfill waste.

Companies have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Frustration

Initial work to remove the Kidlington area dump started earlier this month due to worries over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.

A private waste clearance contractor has been awarded the job to deal with the site over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national environmental crime division said that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clearance costs under asset recovery laws from any individual successfully found guilty at the end of its active investigation.

She noted that these arrests would help "move the probe forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"This illegal tip at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the local anger at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A senior representative supported the actions, adding: "This unauthorized dumping of rubbish at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable damage to the ecology and distress to the local residents.

"The authorities is dedicated to eliminating this kind of illegal activity throughout the UK, by increasing funds to tackle illegal dumping, hiring more staff and implementing more severe measures and sanctions for those who break the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by officers from a regional serious crime team and come after an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was let go subject to further investigations.