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Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in relation with the huge pile of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests follow a recent investigation which exposed the operation of more than 500 unauthorized dumps in the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory agency commented that the arrests were for environmental and financial crimes and were a "vital step" in active investigations. Both men have been set free on bail.

Size of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to hold around 21,000 tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what looks to be processed domestic rubbish, chopped up plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and other household objects.

It is just one of 517 unlawful tips across the country, at a minimum of 11 of which hold more than 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These feature 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 Kent.

The overall number of such bigger locations is likely to be greater, as the environmental authority has in the past stated it does not hold information on tonnage for all unauthorized tip.

The majority these sites are in countryside settings, frequently concealed, and on land that should be agricultural ground.

Organized Enterprise

Authorities report numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are making money by asking for significantly less than licensed companies to receive and bury waste.

Companies have to be liable for gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the quantity and type of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Preparation work to clean up the Kidlington area location commenced earlier this month following concerns over the threat of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the job to handle the area over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government environment unit commented that the agency would be looking to claim back the clearance costs under confiscation laws from any party ultimately convicted at the termination of its current case.

She added that the recent arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and allow authorities to "follow more leads to determine in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized site at the site was an atrocious and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the community's outrage at this egregious offence," she stated.

A cabinet representative supported the detentions, stating: "The unlawful tipping of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in significant detriment to the natural world and distress to the surrounding population.

"Our government is committed to eliminating this type of criminality throughout the UK, by boosting resources to address environmental crime, recruiting more staff and implementing more severe checks and penalties for those who violate the law."

The arrests were executed on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional organised crime squad and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in last November. He was released subject to additional inquiries.