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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the tipping of thousands of tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive pile of rubbish tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions come after a recent report which revealed the existence of over 500 unauthorized dumps across England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the regulatory agency said that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what appears to be processed household refuse, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted household objects.

It represents just one of 517 illegal sites across the country, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger sites is likely to be larger, as the regulatory agency has in the past indicated it does not hold information on weight for all illegal site.

The majority such locations are in rural locations, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Organized Enterprise

Police say many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making money by asking for much less than legitimate firms to accept and dispose of garbage.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the amount and type of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Outrage

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington area site began recently amid concerns over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A private waste clearance contractor has been given the task to remediate the site over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's regulatory unit commented that the authority would be looking to recover the clearance costs under asset recovery acts from any individual successfully convicted at the termination of its current inquiry.

She noted that this week's arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"This illegal dump at this location was an appalling and calculated affront on our environment and we understand the local frustration at this terrible offence," she said.

A senior minister praised the detentions, adding: "The illegal tipping of garbage at the site is disgraceful and has led to considerable detriment to the environment and anguish to the nearby residents.

"Our authorities is committed to eradicating this kind of crime throughout the UK, by increasing resources to combat environmental crime, employing more staff and enacting stricter controls and fines for those who flout the law."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional crime team and follow an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was set free pending further investigations.