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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in association with the enormous mound of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a recent investigation which revealed the existence of more than 500 unlawful tips across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency said that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering violations and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to house around 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is consists of what seems to be processed domestic rubbish, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tires and other domestic objects.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized sites across the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total figure of such major locations is likely to be larger, as the environmental authority has previously stated it does not hold data on weight for all illegal dump.

Most these sites are in agricultural locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Organised Activity

Authorities say a significant number are run by criminal organizations, who are making cash by charging significantly less than legitimate companies to take and bury garbage.

Companies have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the amount and type of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Anger

Initial work to remove the Kidlington dump commenced earlier this month following concerns over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the close-by major road.

A private waste clearance company has been granted the job to deal with the area over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the country's environmental crime unit stated that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance costs under confiscation legislation from anyone ultimately prosecuted at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She noted that these detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to understand precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful tip at the site was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our environment and the authorities empathize with the public's frustration at this egregious act," she said.

A cabinet official praised the arrests, stating: "This illegal deposit of garbage at the site is appalling and has resulted in considerable damage to the natural world and upset to the local residents.

"Our administration is pledged to stamping out this kind of criminality in the country, by augmenting resources to tackle waste crime, recruiting more personnel and implementing more severe measures and fines for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were made on Thursday by officers from a specialist serious crime team and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was set free subject to more enquiries.