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Two men have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in association with the huge heap of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a previous revelation which exposed the operation of in excess of 500 unlawful sites across the country of England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities said that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "crucial step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to contain approximately 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of garbage is made up of what looks to be processed household refuse, chopped up plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and other domestic items.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal dumps throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of garbage. These include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall amount of such major locations is probably to be larger, as the regulatory body has in the past stated it does not maintain information on tonnage for all illegal tip.

The majority such locations are in countryside areas, typically hidden, and on land that should be arable property.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement say numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by demanding much less than licensed firms to accept and landfill waste.

Firms have to incur gate fees to use legitimate waste facilities, depending on the volume and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Preparatory operations to remove the Kidlington area location commenced recently due to concerns over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A private waste removal contractor has been awarded the contract to remediate the area over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the national regulatory division said that the agency would be aiming to recover the clean-up funds under confiscation acts from anyone ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its active case.

She added that this week's arrests would help "move the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more avenues to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful site at this location was an shocking and deliberate assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the public's anger at this egregious act," she remarked.

A cabinet official welcomed the actions, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has caused significant damage to the natural world and upset to the surrounding community.

"Our authorities is committed to stamping out this category of criminality throughout the nation, by boosting resources to tackle waste crime, recruiting more officers and enacting tougher controls and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime team and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in last November. He was set free subject to more investigations.