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Two men have been taken into custody as part of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tons of waste in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in association with the huge heap of rubbish dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions come after a prior report which exposed the presence of more than 500 unauthorized dumps across the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental agency commented that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "vital step" in active probes. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is composed of what seems to be sorted residential rubbish, chopped up plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted household objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful sites throughout the country, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total amount of such larger locations is probably to be higher, as the regulatory authority has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain records on volume for all illegal tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Organized Enterprise

Authorities report a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are making money by demanding far less than lawful companies to take and bury rubbish.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Anger

Preparatory operations to remove the Kidlington site commenced in recent weeks following worries over the risk of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road.

A commercial waste removal company has been granted the task to remediate the area over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the country's regulatory team stated that the agency would be seeking to recoup the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime legislation from any party ultimately found guilty at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She noted that these detentions would help "move the probe forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more leads to ascertain in detail what happened and who was a party to it".

"The unauthorized tip at this location was an shocking and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the public's anger at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A cabinet minister praised the detentions, stating: "The illegal tipping of waste at this location is appalling and has caused considerable harm to the environment and anguish to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is pledged to eradicating this type of criminality in the country, by increasing resources to tackle environmental crime, employing more personnel and enacting tougher checks and penalties for those who flout the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by agents from a specialist organised crime team and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in November. He was released pending further enquiries.