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A pair of individuals have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the massive mound of rubbish dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a prior report which revealed the existence of more than 500 unauthorized tips across England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environment agency said that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial crimes and constituted a "key step" in active investigations. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to contain about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of garbage is made up of what seems to be processed household refuse, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and other domestic objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 illegal sites in the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total amount of such major sites is probably to be greater, as the environmental authority has previously indicated it does not hold records on tonnage for every illegal tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural settings, often concealed, and on land that is intended to be farm ground.

Criminal Operations

Police say a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by asking for far less than licensed operators to receive and dispose of garbage.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the amount and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington location commenced in recent weeks due to fears over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted clean-up company has been given the job to remediate the site over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's regulatory unit said that the authority would be seeking to claim back the remediation expenses under confiscation laws from any party successfully prosecuted at the end of its active inquiry.

She further stated that these arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "follow more avenues to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate attack on our environment and the authorities empathize with the local outrage at this horrific offence," she stated.

A government official supported the actions, adding: "This unauthorized dumping of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the environment and upset to the local population.

"Our administration is dedicated to eradicating this type of crime throughout the country, by augmenting resources to tackle illegal dumping, hiring more staff and introducing stricter measures and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime squad and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in November. He was set free subject to further enquiries.