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A pair of individuals have been detained as part of an investigation into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in association with the enormous heap of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous report which exposed the operation of more than 500 unauthorized sites across the country of England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory agency said that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "key step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to house about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of waste is consists of what looks to be sorted domestic refuse, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and various household items.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal dumps across England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall number of such bigger sites is likely to be greater, as the environmental agency has earlier stated it does not hold records on tonnage for each unauthorized site.

Most these sites are in agricultural locations, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm property.

Organised Activity

Authorities state numerous are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by asking for far less than legitimate firms to accept and bury rubbish.

Companies have to incur site fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Frustration

Initial work to clear the affected location began in recent weeks amid concerns over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted waste removal firm has been granted the task to handle the location over the next 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environment unit commented that the body would be seeking to recoup the clearance expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from any party successfully found guilty at the end of its active inquiry.

She further stated that these apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow officials to "investigate more leads to ascertain exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized dump at this location was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and we empathize with the public's frustration at this egregious act," she remarked.

A senior minister welcomed the actions, stating: "The unauthorized tipping of rubbish at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant damage to the environment and upset to the local community.

"Our government is pledged to stamping out this kind of criminality throughout the UK, by boosting financing to combat waste crime, recruiting more officers and enacting stricter measures and fines for those who flout the law."

The arrests were executed on the specified day by personnel from a specialist crime team and follow an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was released awaiting additional investigations.