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Two men have been detained as part of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in association with the massive heap of rubbish deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a prior investigation which revealed the operation of over 500 unlawful tips across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental authorities stated that the detentions were for environment-related and money laundering crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing investigations. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to house around 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 appears to be processed household refuse, fragmented plastics, polystyrene, tyres and assorted domestic articles.

It is just one example of 517 unauthorized tips across England, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. These encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total number of such larger sites is likely to be greater, as the regulatory body has earlier acknowledged it does not possess information on weight for each unlawful site.

The majority sites are in agricultural settings, frequently concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Organized Activity

Law enforcement report a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are generating profit by charging significantly less than legitimate companies to take and landfill waste.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, based on the volume and nature of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Preparation work to clear the affected location started in recent weeks due to fears over the risk of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby A-road.

A commercial waste removal firm has been given the job to remediate the location over the following 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government regulatory team commented that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance funds under proceeds of crime acts from any individual found guilty at the end of its active investigation.

She further stated that this week's arrests would help "push the investigation forward" and allow officials to "pursue more avenues to determine in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal site at this location was an atrocious and intentional affront on our environment and officials empathize with the community's anger at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A senior representative supported the arrests, commenting: "This unlawful deposit of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has caused significant detriment to the natural world and upset to the surrounding population.

"Our authorities is committed to eradicating this category of illegal activity in the nation, by augmenting financing to combat environmental crime, hiring more officers and enacting stricter controls and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on a recent Thursday by agents from a specialist organised crime unit and follow an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in November. He was released pending further investigations.