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Two men have been arrested as part of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the huge heap of rubbish tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a previous report which exposed the operation of more than 500 unauthorized dumps throughout England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental agency commented that the detentions were for environmental and money laundering crimes and were a "crucial step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Size of the Issue

The dump in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to house about 21,000 tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of waste is composed of what seems to be processed residential refuse, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, tyres and other household articles.

It represents just a single of 517 unlawful tips across England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of garbage. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual number of such bigger dumps is probably to be higher, as the environment authority has earlier acknowledged it does not possess records on weight for every unlawful site.

Most these sites are in countryside locations, often concealed, and on land that should be farm property.

Criminal Enterprise

Law enforcement say many are managed by criminal organizations, who are earning profit by asking for much less than legitimate companies to receive and bury rubbish.

Companies have to pay site fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the amount and type of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory operations to clean up the Kidlington area site began recently following concerns over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.

A private clean-up contractor has been given the job to deal with the site over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environment unit said that the agency would be looking to claim back the clearance funds under confiscation acts from any party ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing inquiry.

She further stated that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and enable the agency to "follow more leads to understand in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"This illegal dump at the site was an appalling and intentional assault on our ecology and officials understand the local frustration at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A cabinet representative welcomed the arrests, stating: "The illegal deposit of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in considerable damage to the environment and upset to the surrounding population.

"Our administration is committed to stamping out this kind of illegal activity in the nation, by boosting resources to combat illegal dumping, employing more officers and enacting tougher checks and penalties for those who break the rules."

The detentions were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional organised crime squad and come after an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was released pending additional inquiries.