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Two individuals have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of thousands of tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in the town of Slough in association with the huge heap of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior investigation which exposed the operation of more than 500 unauthorized dumps across the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities commented that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering violations and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of waste is consists of what looks to be treated residential refuse, chopped up plastic items, Styrofoam, automobile tires and assorted domestic articles.

It represents just one example of 517 unlawful dumps throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of garbage. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual figure of such major locations is likely to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously stated it does not hold information on weight for all unlawful tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in agricultural settings, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Criminal Operations

Authorities say many are run by criminal organizations, who are making cash by asking for much less than licensed operators to receive and landfill waste.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, contingent on the amount and type of material they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Outrage

Preparatory operations to clean up the Kidlington site commenced recently due to concerns over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been awarded the contract to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's regulatory division commented that the body would be aiming to recover the remediation costs under proceeds of crime laws from anyone ultimately found guilty at the termination of its active investigation.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what happened and who was involved".

"The unauthorized site at this location was an appalling and deliberate assault on our environment and officials understand the community's frustration at this horrific act," she said.

A cabinet official welcomed the actions, stating: "The unauthorized tipping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has caused considerable damage to the ecology and distress to the nearby community.

"The administration is dedicated to eradicating this kind of criminality throughout the UK, by augmenting funds to address environmental crime, hiring more staff and enacting stricter checks and fines for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a specialist crime squad and come after an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in last November. He was let go pending further enquiries.