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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of thousands of tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the massive heap of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a prior investigation which revealed the presence of over 500 unlawful dumps across the country of England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment agency stated that the apprehensions were for ecological and proceeds of crime offences and were a "vital step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Size of the Problem

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

This heap of garbage is composed of what seems to be processed residential rubbish, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted everyday articles.

It is just one of 517 unlawful sites in England, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall number of such larger sites is probably to be greater, as the environmental body has earlier stated it does not hold records on tonnage for each unlawful dump.

Most sites are in rural settings, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Organized Operations

Authorities state a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by charging significantly less than lawful companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the quantity and category of material they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Preparatory work to clean up the affected location commenced in recent weeks following worries over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A commercial clean-up company has been granted the job to remediate the area over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the government environment division commented that the agency would be looking to recoup the clearance costs under confiscation acts from anyone prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing inquiry.

She further stated that these apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine exactly what happened and who was involved".

"This unlawful tip at this location was an appalling and calculated assault on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the public's anger at this terrible act," she stated.

A senior minister welcomed the actions, adding: "This illegal tipping of garbage at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in significant damage to the environment and anguish to the local community.

"Our authorities is dedicated to eradicating this type of illegal activity in the UK, by boosting resources to tackle waste crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing tougher controls and penalties for those who flout the rules."

The arrests were made on a recent Thursday by officers from a specialist crime squad and are in addition to an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released subject to additional enquiries.