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Two individuals have been detained as part of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in relation with the huge heap of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions follow a recent revelation which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 unauthorized sites in England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory authorities commented that the arrests were for ecological and financial crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in active investigations. Both men have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is composed of what seems to be sorted household refuse, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, tires and various domestic items.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total figure of such bigger sites is expected to be greater, as the regulatory body has in the past acknowledged it does not possess records on weight for each unlawful tip.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Organised Activity

Law enforcement report a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by asking for significantly less than legitimate companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Companies have to be liable for disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, contingent on the volume and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington area dump started earlier this month due to concerns over the risk of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private waste clearance firm has been awarded the task to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's regulatory team commented that the body would be aiming to recoup the remediation expenses under confiscation legislation from any party ultimately convicted at the end of its ongoing case.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine exactly what transpired and who was involved".

"The illegal site at this location was an shocking and calculated attack on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the local outrage at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A cabinet minister praised the actions, adding: "This illegal dumping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has led to substantial damage to the environment and upset to the nearby population.

"The authorities is pledged to stamping out this type of crime across the UK, by boosting resources to combat waste crime, employing more officers and introducing stricter checks and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a specialist serious crime team and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was released pending further inquiries.