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Two men have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous heap of waste tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a prior revelation which exposed the operation of over 500 unauthorized tips throughout England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the regulatory body said that the detentions were for environment-related and financial crimes and were a "key step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to contain around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of garbage is composed of what seems to be processed residential waste, chopped up plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and various household articles.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized sites in England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such larger locations is probably to be higher, as the environment agency has in the past stated it does not possess data on volume for all unlawful site.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement say a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are earning money by asking for significantly less than lawful operators to receive and bury garbage.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the amount and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Preparation work to clear the Kidlington area site began earlier this month following concerns over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been awarded the contract to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the government regulatory team stated that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance expenses under proceeds of crime acts from any individual successfully found guilty at the end of its current inquiry.

She noted that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and enable authorities to "follow more leads to understand in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"This unlawful dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and officials empathize with the community's frustration at this terrible offence," she said.

A government representative welcomed the arrests, commenting: "The unauthorized dumping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable damage to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding residents.

"The government is pledged to stamping out this category of criminality across the UK, by boosting resources to combat environmental crime, employing more personnel and implementing more severe controls and sanctions for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a specialist crime unit and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was set free subject to additional investigations.