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Two men have been taken into custody as part of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the huge pile of waste dumped near Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a prior investigation which exposed the existence of more than 500 illegal dumps across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body commented that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial crimes and were a "vital step" in active investigations. Both men have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to hold about 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is made up of what appears to be sorted domestic rubbish, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, automobile tires and assorted everyday articles.

It represents just one example of 517 unauthorized dumps in England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of rubbish. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall amount of such larger sites is expected to be higher, as the regulatory authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold records on volume for all unlawful dump.

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

Organised Activity

Police report numerous are operated by organized crime groups, who are generating cash by charging significantly less than legitimate companies to take and landfill garbage.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate waste facilities, based on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Preparation operations to clear the affected location began recently due to concerns over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial waste clearance company has been awarded the job to handle the area over the coming 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the country's environmental crime division commented that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clearance costs under confiscation laws from any individual successfully convicted at the end of its current investigation.

She added that the recent detentions would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"This illegal site at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated affront on our environment and the authorities empathize with the local frustration at this egregious offence," she stated.

A cabinet representative praised the detentions, commenting: "The unlawful dumping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has caused significant detriment to the natural world and distress to the nearby residents.

"Our administration is committed to eradicating this kind of illegal activity in the nation, by boosting financing to combat environmental crime, hiring more officers and implementing stricter controls and penalties for those who break the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by personnel from a regional crime unit and follow an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in November. He was let go subject to additional investigations.