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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the massive pile of waste dumped near Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a recent report which revealed the presence of over 500 unlawful tips across England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental authorities commented that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering crimes and represented a "key step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to contain around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of waste is consists of what appears to be processed household waste, shredded plastic materials, Styrofoam, automobile tires and other domestic articles.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal dumps throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such larger dumps is expected to be greater, as the environment agency has previously acknowledged it does not maintain records on volume for all illegal site.

The majority these sites are in countryside settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Organised Enterprise

Law enforcement report a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are generating profit by charging much less than licensed firms to receive and dispose of waste.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the amount and nature of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Outrage

Initial work to clean up the Kidlington site commenced earlier this month following concerns over the threat of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been granted the job to handle the area over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national regulatory team commented that the agency would be looking to recoup the clean-up funds under confiscation acts from any party successfully prosecuted at the termination of its current inquiry.

She further stated that the recent detentions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and enable the agency to "pursue more leads to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized dump at the site was an shocking and calculated affront on our ecology and the authorities share the local frustration at this egregious crime," she stated.

A government official supported the arrests, adding: "This unauthorized tipping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable harm to the environment and anguish to the nearby residents.

"Our authorities is pledged to stamping out this kind of crime in the nation, by increasing resources to combat environmental crime, hiring more staff and implementing tougher checks and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a regional serious crime team and follow an prior apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in November. He was let go subject to additional investigations.