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A pair of individuals have been detained as an element of an investigation into the dumping of thousands of tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the huge mound of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a prior revelation which revealed the operation of more than 500 unauthorized sites across England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities commented that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and were a "key step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to contain approximately 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of waste is composed of what appears to be treated household waste, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and other domestic articles.

It constitutes just one of 517 illegal dumps throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual number of such larger locations is likely to be higher, as the regulatory body has earlier indicated it does not hold data on volume for all unauthorized site.

The majority these sites are in agricultural settings, typically concealed, and on land that should be arable land.

Criminal Operations

Authorities report numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating profit by asking for far less than lawful firms to receive and bury garbage.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, based on the quantity and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Initial efforts to clear the affected dump started earlier this month due to concerns over the risk of combustion and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste removal company has been granted the contract to remediate the area over the following 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national regulatory division stated that the agency would be seeking to recover the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from any party ultimately found guilty at the end of its ongoing investigation.

She added that this week's arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and allow officials to "investigate more avenues to determine exactly what transpired and who was involved".

"The unlawful tip at Kidlington was an appalling and calculated attack on our environment and officials understand the local outrage at this terrible act," she remarked.

A cabinet representative welcomed the actions, adding: "This unlawful deposit of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable damage to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding population.

"Our administration is pledged to eliminating this category of criminality throughout the nation, by boosting resources to combat environmental crime, employing more personnel and implementing stricter checks and fines for those who violate the law."

The detentions were made on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime squad and come after an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in last November. He was let go pending additional enquiries.