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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive pile of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a recent investigation which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 illegal tips in the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory body said that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is thought to house about 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what seems to be treated residential rubbish, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, automobile tires and other everyday articles.

It is just one of 517 unauthorized dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of waste. These include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total amount of such bigger sites is expected to be larger, as the environmental authority has earlier stated it does not hold data on tonnage for every illegal dump.

Most such locations are in agricultural settings, often concealed, and on land that is intended to be arable ground.

Organised Enterprise

Police say a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are generating cash by charging much less than licensed operators to accept and bury rubbish.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, based on the quantity and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Anger

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington site commenced recently following fears over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private clean-up firm has been given the task to remediate the site over the following 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national environment unit commented that the agency would be aiming to claim back the clearance costs under proceeds of crime acts from anyone successfully convicted at the conclusion of its active case.

She further stated that these arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and allow officials to "pursue more avenues to ascertain precisely what happened and who was implicated".

"This unlawful site at the site was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our natural surroundings and we share the public's frustration at this horrific crime," she said.

A senior official supported the detentions, stating: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at this location is appalling and has resulted in significant detriment to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding residents.

"The government is dedicated to eliminating this category of illegal activity across the UK, by increasing resources to tackle environmental crime, hiring more officers and implementing more severe checks and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by officers from a dedicated crime team and follow an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in November. He was released pending more investigations.