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Two men have been detained as a component of an probe into the tipping of thousands of tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the enormous pile of rubbish dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions follow a prior report which exposed the operation of over 500 unlawful sites throughout England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment agency stated that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering violations and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to hold around 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is made up of what looks to be treated domestic rubbish, chopped up plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various everyday objects.

It is just a single of 517 illegal sites throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total figure of such bigger sites is probably to be higher, as the environmental authority has previously stated it does not hold information on volume for every unauthorized tip.

Most sites are in rural areas, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Organized Operations

Authorities report many are run by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by asking for far less than licensed companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the amount and nature of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Preparatory work to clear the affected dump commenced in recent weeks due to worries over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by highway.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been awarded the job to deal with the location over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the government regulatory unit said that the agency would be seeking to claim back the clearance expenses under asset recovery laws from any individual prosecuted at the termination of its current investigation.

She further stated that the recent arrests would help "move the probe forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more leads to understand precisely what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful site at this location was an shocking and deliberate attack on our ecology and we empathize with the local outrage at this terrible crime," she said.

A cabinet representative welcomed the detentions, stating: "The illegal dumping of waste at the site is appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the environment and anguish to the local residents.

"The authorities is committed to eradicating this type of illegal activity across the nation, by augmenting funds to address waste crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing tougher measures and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by officers from a dedicated crime squad and are in addition to an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in November. He was set free awaiting further inquiries.