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Two individuals have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in association with the enormous pile of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a recent revelation which uncovered the presence of more than 500 unlawful dumps in England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment authorities commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and money laundering violations and were a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. Both men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34, is believed to house approximately 21,000 tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of rubbish is consists of what seems to be treated domestic waste, fragmented plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and various domestic objects.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tons of waste. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger locations is likely to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously indicated it does not maintain information on weight for all unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of such locations are in rural locations, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Criminal Activity

Authorities say numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are making profit by charging much less than legitimate operators to accept and bury rubbish.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the quantity and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Initial efforts to clean up the affected location began in recent weeks amid concerns over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A private waste clearance company has been given the job to handle the location over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national environmental crime unit stated that the body would be aiming to recoup the remediation costs under asset recovery acts from any party ultimately found guilty at the end of its active case.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and permit the agency to "follow more leads to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful site at the site was an shocking and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the local anger at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A government minister supported the detentions, stating: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in considerable harm to the environment and distress to the local population.

"Our government is committed to stamping out this category of illegal activity across the UK, by increasing financing to address environmental crime, hiring more officers and enacting more severe controls and fines for those who break the rules."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a specialist serious crime unit and are in addition to an prior arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was set free subject to further enquiries.