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Two individuals have been detained as an element of an probe into the tipping of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in association with the massive mound of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions come after a recent revelation which revealed the presence of more than 500 unlawful sites in England, including at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental agency said that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and represented a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to house around 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is consists of what looks to be processed domestic refuse, chopped up plastic materials, polystyrene, automobile tires and various household items.

It is just one of 517 illegal tips across England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such larger sites is expected to be higher, as the environment authority has previously acknowledged it does not maintain data on weight for each illegal dump.

Most sites are in agricultural locations, often hidden, and on land that is zoned as farm property.

Organised Activity

Authorities say many are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding significantly less than lawful firms to take and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the volume and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Outrage

Initial work to remove the Kidlington area location commenced recently amid fears over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the job to remediate the location over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national environment division commented that the agency would be seeking to recoup the clearance funds under confiscation legislation from any party successfully found guilty at the end of its ongoing case.

She added that these arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more avenues to determine in detail what transpired and who was involved".

"The unauthorized site at this location was an appalling and calculated attack on our environment and officials understand the public's anger at this terrible offence," she stated.

A government representative supported the arrests, adding: "The unlawful deposit of waste at the site is disgraceful and has led to significant damage to the environment and distress to the local community.

"Our authorities is pledged to stamping out this type of criminality in the UK, by boosting resources to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and enacting stricter measures and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by agents from a specialist crime squad and are in addition to an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in last November. He was let go subject to additional investigations.