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Two individuals have been detained as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in association with the huge pile of rubbish deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a prior report which uncovered the operation of more than 500 illegal dumps throughout England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental authorities stated that the arrests were for ecological and money laundering crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing inquiries. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to house around 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of garbage is consists of what seems to be sorted residential rubbish, fragmented plastic materials, Styrofoam, tires and assorted household objects.

It is just a single of 517 illegal tips across England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes of garbage. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total amount of such bigger sites is likely to be higher, as the environmental agency has in the past acknowledged it does not possess information on weight for all illegal site.

A large proportion of such locations are in agricultural areas, frequently concealed, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Organised Operations

Police report numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning money by asking for far less than legitimate companies to receive and bury waste.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the quantity and nature of waste they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Preparatory work to clean up the affected location began recently due to concerns over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A private waste clearance contractor has been granted the job to handle the area over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the government environmental crime unit commented that the body would be looking to recover the clearance expenses under confiscation legislation from any individual found guilty at the end of its current investigation.

She added that this week's arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable officials to "pursue more avenues to understand in detail what happened and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful dump at Kidlington was an appalling and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and officials understand the community's frustration at this terrible offence," she stated.

A senior official welcomed the detentions, commenting: "The illegal tipping of garbage at the site is appalling and has resulted in considerable detriment to the ecology and upset to the local population.

"The administration is dedicated to stamping out this type of illegal activity across the nation, by augmenting funds to address waste crime, recruiting more personnel and implementing more severe measures and fines for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were made on a recent Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime team and are in addition to an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in last November. He was let go pending additional investigations.