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Two men have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in the town of Slough in connection with the huge heap of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a prior revelation which revealed the existence of over 500 illegal sites in the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environmental authorities commented that the detentions were for environmental and money laundering crimes and were a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what appears to be processed residential refuse, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful tips throughout the country, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual figure of such major locations is probably to be greater, as the regulatory authority has earlier acknowledged it does not hold records on tonnage for all unauthorized dump.

Most these sites are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities say numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding far less than legitimate firms to accept and bury garbage.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful disposal sites, depending on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Outrage

Initial work to clear the Kidlington site commenced earlier this month due to concerns over the potential of blaze and the effect that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial waste removal company has been granted the contract to deal with the location over the next 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the national regulatory division said that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance expenses under confiscation laws from any individual successfully convicted at the end of its active inquiry.

She further stated that these detentions would help "move the probe forward" and allow the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what happened and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized site at the site was an shocking and deliberate affront on our environment and we empathize with the community's anger at this terrible crime," she stated.

A senior official supported the actions, adding: "The illegal tipping of garbage at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in considerable detriment to the natural world and anguish to the nearby residents.

"Our authorities is committed to stamping out this category of illegal activity in the nation, by increasing resources to address illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and implementing more severe measures and fines for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by agents from a regional serious crime squad and come after an earlier detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was released awaiting more enquiries.