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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the huge mound of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a previous report which exposed the existence of more than 500 unauthorized dumps across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory agency said that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial crimes and were a "vital step" in active probes. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is believed to contain about 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is composed of what looks to be treated domestic refuse, fragmented plastic materials, Styrofoam, tires and various everyday objects.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized tips throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of garbage. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total number of such major sites is probably to be greater, as the environmental agency has in the past indicated it does not maintain data on weight for all unauthorized site.

The majority such locations are in agricultural areas, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be arable ground.

Organized Activity

Authorities report numerous are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by charging much less than legitimate companies to take and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Initial efforts to remove the affected location commenced in recent weeks amid worries over the risk of blaze and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the job to remediate the area over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the national regulatory unit said that the body would be seeking to recoup the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime laws from anyone successfully found guilty at the end of its current investigation.

She noted that these detentions would help "move the probe forward" and enable the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unlawful site at the site was an atrocious and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and we understand the community's anger at this egregious act," she said.

A cabinet minister praised the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized tipping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable detriment to the natural world and anguish to the local community.

"Our administration is pledged to eliminating this kind of illegal activity throughout the nation, by augmenting financing to tackle environmental crime, hiring more staff and implementing more severe checks and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a dedicated organised crime team and follow an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in last November. He was released pending additional inquiries.