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Two men have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in connection with the massive mound of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a previous revelation which uncovered the existence of over 500 unlawful dumps across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory body commented that the arrests were for environment-related and financial crimes and were a "vital step" in active probes. Both men have been released on bail.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to contain around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is consists of what looks to be sorted household waste, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, automobile tires and assorted household items.

It represents just a single of 517 unlawful tips throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total amount of such larger locations is expected to be greater, as the regulatory agency has in the past stated it does not hold information on volume for each illegal tip.

The majority these sites are in rural locations, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be farm property.

Criminal Activity

Authorities report numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning profit by charging much less than licensed operators to take and landfill garbage.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the volume and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Frustration

Preparatory work to clear the affected site commenced earlier this month following concerns over the threat of fire and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted waste removal company has been awarded the job to deal with the location over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national environment team stated that the agency would be seeking to claim back the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime acts from anyone prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that the recent detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "follow more avenues to understand exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"This illegal tip at this location was an shocking and deliberate attack on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the public's anger at this egregious crime," she said.

A government representative welcomed the detentions, commenting: "This illegal deposit of rubbish at this location is disgraceful and has resulted in significant detriment to the natural world and anguish to the local community.

"The administration is pledged to stamping out this category of criminality in the nation, by boosting resources to combat illegal dumping, employing more officers and introducing more severe measures and sanctions for those who break the law."

The arrests were made on the specified day by personnel from a specialist serious crime team and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in November. He was released pending additional inquiries.