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Two individuals have been detained as part of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in association with the huge mound of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous revelation which uncovered the operation of over 500 unlawful tips in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory body stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and were a "key step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to house around 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of waste is composed of what looks to be treated residential waste, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tyres and various domestic articles.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful tips throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The overall figure of such major sites is probably to be higher, as the environment authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold information on tonnage for each unauthorized site.

The majority sites are in agricultural areas, frequently hidden, and on land that should be arable land.

Organised Activity

Police report a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding much less than licensed firms to take and bury garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, contingent on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Preparatory operations to clear the affected dump started recently due to concerns over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A contracted waste clearance company has been granted the job to remediate the area over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the national environmental crime unit stated that the authority would be aiming to claim back the remediation costs under asset recovery acts from anyone found guilty at the end of its current case.

She further stated that these detentions would help "push the probe forward" and enable officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what happened and who was a party to it".

"The illegal tip at the site was an appalling and intentional attack on our environment and we understand the community's outrage at this horrific act," she said.

A government representative praised the actions, stating: "This unauthorized dumping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has caused significant damage to the ecology and upset to the nearby residents.

"The government is pledged to stamping out this type of crime throughout the country, by boosting resources to tackle waste crime, employing more personnel and enacting tougher measures and sanctions for those who break the rules."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by officers from a specialist organised crime team and are in addition to an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was let go subject to further enquiries.