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Two men have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of refuse in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous mound of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous report which uncovered the existence of over 500 unauthorized tips across England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the regulatory authorities commented that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to house about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is made up of what appears to be processed domestic refuse, shredded plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and other everyday articles.

It is just one example of 517 illegal sites in England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tons of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger dumps is likely to be higher, as the environment body has previously indicated it does not hold data on tonnage for each illegal dump.

Most such locations are in agricultural areas, typically hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural property.

Organized Operations

Law enforcement say a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning money by asking for much less than licensed firms to accept and bury garbage.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the volume and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Anger

Preparatory work to remove the Kidlington area location commenced earlier this month following worries over the risk of fire and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A commercial waste removal firm has been given the task to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the country's regulatory unit said that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clean-up expenses under confiscation legislation from any party successfully convicted at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more avenues to understand precisely what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful site at the site was an shocking and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the community's frustration at this horrific offence," she stated.

A senior representative welcomed the actions, stating: "The unlawful tipping of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has caused considerable harm to the environment and upset to the local community.

"Our government is pledged to stamping out this type of illegal activity across the country, by augmenting financing to address environmental crime, employing more officers and introducing tougher checks and penalties for those who break the regulations."

The detentions were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a dedicated serious crime team and follow an prior arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was set free pending further enquiries.