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Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in association with the massive mound of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a prior investigation which uncovered the operation of more than 500 unlawful dumps across the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environmental authorities said that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial offences and represented a "key step" in continuing investigations. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is thought to contain about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what seems to be treated household waste, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tires and other everyday items.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps throughout England, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such major locations is probably to be greater, as the environment authority has earlier indicated it does not possess data on tonnage for all unlawful site.

The majority these sites are in agricultural settings, often hidden, and on land that should be agricultural ground.

Organized Operations

Authorities state a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are making cash by demanding much less than licensed companies to take and bury rubbish.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, based on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Initial work to clear the Kidlington area site began recently amid concerns over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial clean-up company has been awarded the contract to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the government environment division commented that the authority would be seeking to recoup the remediation costs under confiscation laws from anyone prosecuted at the end of its current inquiry.

She further stated that this week's detentions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more avenues to determine precisely what happened and who was a party to it".

"The illegal site at the site was an appalling and intentional assault on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the community's anger at this terrible act," she said.

A senior representative supported the detentions, commenting: "The unauthorized deposit of rubbish at this location is appalling and has led to significant harm to the environment and anguish to the nearby residents.

"Our government is pledged to eliminating this category of crime throughout the UK, by increasing funds to combat environmental crime, hiring more staff and enacting more severe measures and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by officers from a specialist organised crime team and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was set free pending further inquiries.