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A pair of individuals have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous mound of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests follow a prior investigation which exposed the existence of more than 500 unauthorized dumps in the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment body commented that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is thought to hold around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is made up of what looks to be treated residential rubbish, shredded plastic materials, polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday objects.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal tips throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such larger sites is expected to be greater, as the regulatory authority has in the past indicated it does not hold data on weight for every illegal tip.

Most these sites are in countryside locations, often out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement state numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating money by demanding much less than licensed firms to receive and dispose of waste.

Firms have to incur site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, depending on the amount and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Preparatory work to remove the Kidlington area site commenced recently due to fears over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been given the job to deal with the location over the following 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environment team said that the authority would be looking to claim back the remediation funds under confiscation legislation from any individual convicted at the end of its active investigation.

She added that these apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more leads to understand precisely what transpired and who was implicated".

"This illegal site at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated attack on our ecology and we empathize with the community's outrage at this egregious act," she said.

A government representative supported the actions, adding: "This unlawful deposit of rubbish at this location is utterly appalling and has led to significant detriment to the ecology and distress to the nearby population.

"The authorities is committed to eradicating this category of criminality across the country, by augmenting resources to combat illegal dumping, employing more officers and introducing more severe checks and penalties for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a specialist crime unit and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in last November. He was set free awaiting more inquiries.