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Two men have been taken into custody as part of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tons of waste in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous heap of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions follow a prior report which revealed the operation of more than 500 illegal dumps in England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment body commented that the detentions were for environmental and financial crimes and were a "vital step" in continuing probes. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to house about 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is composed of what appears to be treated residential refuse, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and various everyday items.

It represents just one of 517 illegal sites throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger sites is expected to be greater, as the environment body has in the past stated it does not hold information on weight for each unlawful tip.

The majority sites are in countryside settings, typically hidden, and on land that is intended to be arable ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities say a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by asking for far less than licensed firms to accept and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to incur gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the volume and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Anger

Preparatory operations to clear the Kidlington area location began recently due to worries over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby major road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been given the job to handle the site over the following 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's regulatory division commented that the authority would be aiming to recover the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from any party ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its active investigation.

She added that these detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more leads to determine exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unlawful dump at Kidlington was an shocking and calculated assault on our environment and officials share the local outrage at this horrific crime," she said.

A government representative praised the detentions, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has resulted in substantial detriment to the ecology and upset to the surrounding population.

"The administration is dedicated to eliminating this kind of crime across the UK, by augmenting resources to tackle waste crime, hiring more officers and enacting stricter measures and penalties for those who violate the law."

The arrests were made on Thursday by agents from a dedicated crime team and are in addition to an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in November. He was set free subject to further enquiries.