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Two men have been detained as an element of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in relation with the enormous mound of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a recent investigation which uncovered the presence of more than 500 unlawful tips across England, including at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environmental agency stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "key step" in ongoing inquiries. The apprehended men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold around 21,000 tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what appears to be processed residential waste, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and other household articles.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful sites across the country, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such major locations is probably to be larger, as the environmental body has earlier acknowledged it does not maintain records on volume for all unauthorized tip.

The majority such locations are in agricultural settings, typically hidden, and on land that should be farm ground.

Organised Enterprise

Law enforcement state many are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning profit by charging much less than licensed operators to receive and landfill waste.

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

Community Frustration

Preparation work to remove the affected dump commenced earlier this month amid fears over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been awarded the task to deal with the location over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's regulatory team commented that the authority would be seeking to claim back the clean-up expenses under confiscation laws from any party ultimately found guilty at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She further stated that this week's arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more leads to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This illegal site at this location was an atrocious and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and officials understand the public's outrage at this egregious offence," she stated.

A cabinet representative praised the arrests, adding: "The unlawful tipping of garbage at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in significant harm to the natural world and distress to the nearby community.

"The government is dedicated to stamping out this type of crime across the nation, by increasing resources to combat illegal dumping, employing more staff and introducing stricter measures and fines for those who break the law."

The detentions were made on the specified day by officers from a dedicated crime squad and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in November. He was let go pending additional enquiries.