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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive heap of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a recent investigation which revealed the existence of over 500 illegal tips throughout England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environment body commented that the arrests were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and were a "crucial step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what seems to be processed household waste, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tires and various domestic objects.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual figure of such larger locations is probably to be higher, as the environmental body has in the past indicated it does not possess data on weight for all unlawful dump.

Most sites are in agricultural settings, often concealed, and on land that should be arable property.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities report numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by charging significantly less than lawful operators to take and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to be liable for site fees to use lawful landfill sites, contingent on the amount and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Outrage

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington area dump commenced in recent weeks following worries over the threat of blaze and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.

A commercial waste clearance contractor has been awarded the task to deal with the location over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the national environment team said that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clean-up expenses under confiscation legislation from anyone successfully prosecuted at the conclusion of its current investigation.

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

"The illegal site at the site was an appalling and deliberate attack on our ecology and we empathize with the local outrage at this terrible act," she said.

A government official supported the actions, adding: "The unauthorized tipping of rubbish at this location is utterly appalling and has caused significant harm to the environment and upset to the local residents.

"The government is pledged to eliminating this type of criminality throughout the nation, by augmenting financing to combat environmental crime, recruiting more personnel and enacting more severe measures and penalties for those who flout the law."

The arrests were made on the specified day by personnel from a specialist crime unit and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was set free subject to further investigations.