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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as part of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in association with the huge heap of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a prior report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps in the country of England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities stated that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering violations and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Size of the Issue

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to hold approximately 21,000 tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of garbage is composed of what appears to be treated residential refuse, chopped up plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and various everyday items.

It is just one example of 517 illegal tips in the country, at a minimum of 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total figure of such major locations is likely to be higher, as the environment body has previously indicated it does not possess data on tonnage for every unauthorized dump.

The majority such locations are in rural settings, often concealed, and on land that should be arable land.

Organized Operations

Authorities report many are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by asking for much less than legitimate operators to accept and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate disposal sites, depending on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Frustration

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington area location started earlier this month amid concerns over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A private clean-up firm has been given the contract to deal with the area over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the national regulatory unit commented that the authority would be seeking to recover the clean-up funds under confiscation legislation from anyone ultimately found guilty at the end of its current investigation.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and permit officials to "investigate more leads to ascertain precisely what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at the site was an shocking and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and officials empathize with the community's frustration at this egregious act," she remarked.

A senior representative praised the actions, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of rubbish at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable detriment to the ecology and upset to the nearby residents.

"Our government is pledged to eradicating this type of illegal activity in the nation, by boosting funds to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and implementing tougher controls and fines for those who flout the law."

The detentions were made on the specified day by officers from a regional organised crime team and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting more inquiries.