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Two men have been arrested as a component of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tonnes of waste in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous mound of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a recent investigation which revealed the presence of more than 500 unauthorized tips throughout the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency commented that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to contain around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what looks to be sorted residential rubbish, shredded plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and other everyday items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. These encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual amount of such major sites is expected to be greater, as the regulatory authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold information on weight for each unauthorized site.

A large proportion of such locations are in rural locations, frequently hidden, and on land that should be arable ground.

Criminal Activity

Police state many are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by charging far less than legitimate operators to receive and bury garbage.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use lawful disposal sites, depending on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Preparatory operations to remove the Kidlington site started in recent weeks due to worries over the potential of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted clean-up contractor has been awarded the job to deal with the area over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the country's regulatory division stated that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clearance costs under proceeds of crime acts from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the end of its current case.

She further stated that the recent detentions would help "push the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more leads to understand precisely what happened and who was involved".

"This unauthorized dump at this location was an appalling and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and officials share the public's outrage at this horrific act," she said.

A senior minister supported the actions, commenting: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at the site is disgraceful and has caused significant harm to the natural world and upset to the nearby population.

"Our authorities is pledged to eradicating this category of criminality in the UK, by augmenting resources to address illegal dumping, employing more staff and implementing stricter measures and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by officers from a dedicated serious crime team and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in last November. He was set free awaiting further investigations.