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Two men have been detained as a component of an probe into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in relation with the huge pile of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a previous report which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 illegal dumps in the country of England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body stated that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering crimes and were a "vital step" in active investigations. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of garbage is composed of what seems to be sorted domestic refuse, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted domestic objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at least 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such larger dumps is probably to be greater, as the regulatory agency has previously stated it does not maintain information on tonnage for all unlawful dump.

The majority sites are in agricultural settings, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm property.

Organized Enterprise

Police state numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating money by demanding far less than legitimate firms to receive and landfill waste.

Firms have to incur site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Initial efforts to clear the Kidlington area location started in recent weeks following concerns over the potential of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted waste removal company has been granted the task to deal with the location over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's regulatory unit commented that the body would be looking to claim back the clearance funds under confiscation legislation from any party successfully found guilty at the end of its ongoing investigation.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and permit officials to "pursue more leads to understand in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized dump at the site was an atrocious and calculated assault on our ecology and the authorities share the local outrage at this egregious act," she stated.

A government official welcomed the arrests, stating: "This illegal tipping of waste at this location is appalling and has resulted in significant detriment to the ecology and distress to the nearby residents.

"Our administration is pledged to eradicating this kind of criminality across the UK, by boosting funds to combat waste crime, employing more personnel and enacting more severe measures and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime team and follow an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released awaiting further investigations.