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Two men have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the massive mound of waste dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a prior revelation which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful tips throughout England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental body stated that the detentions were for ecological and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "key step" in continuing investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to hold around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is composed of what appears to be sorted residential rubbish, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted everyday objects.

It represents just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps throughout England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such bigger sites is likely to be higher, as the regulatory agency has earlier indicated it does not hold data on volume for each unlawful tip.

The majority such locations are in countryside locations, frequently concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Criminal Operations

Police report many are managed by criminal organizations, who are making cash by asking for much less than lawful operators to take and dispose of garbage.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the volume and type of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Outrage

Preparatory operations to clear the affected dump began earlier this month due to worries over the risk of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been granted the contract to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the national environment unit commented that the agency would be seeking to recover the remediation costs under asset recovery laws from any party prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She further stated that these detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "pursue more avenues to understand precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal tip at this location was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the community's anger at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A cabinet minister praised the detentions, adding: "The illegal dumping of rubbish at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused considerable harm to the environment and anguish to the nearby population.

"Our government is dedicated to eliminating this kind of crime across the UK, by increasing financing to address waste crime, hiring more personnel and enacting tougher controls and sanctions for those who break the rules."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by personnel from a regional organised crime team and come after an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was released awaiting more investigations.