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Two individuals have been detained as part of an probe into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in relation with the huge mound of garbage deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a recent report which exposed the presence of over 500 unlawful dumps across the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environmental authorities said that the arrests were for ecological and money laundering crimes and were a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Size of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of garbage is composed of what looks to be treated residential waste, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful sites in England, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tons of garbage. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such bigger dumps is probably to be larger, as the regulatory body has in the past acknowledged it does not possess data on tonnage for all illegal dump.

A large proportion of sites are in countryside locations, frequently concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Organised Operations

Police state many are run by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by asking for far less than licensed operators to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the amount and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington area site commenced recently following worries over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial waste removal company has been awarded the contract to remediate the location over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the country's environmental crime division stated that the body would be seeking to recover the clean-up funds under proceeds of crime acts from anyone prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She added that the recent arrests would help "move the probe forward" and permit officials to "follow more lines of inquiry to determine exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"The illegal tip at Kidlington was an appalling and intentional affront on our ecology and the authorities share the local frustration at this horrific act," she stated.

A senior official praised the detentions, commenting: "The unlawful deposit of rubbish at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial detriment to the environment and anguish to the nearby population.

"Our administration is dedicated to eradicating this category of criminality throughout the country, by augmenting resources to address waste crime, recruiting more staff and introducing tougher measures and penalties for those who break the law."

The arrests were made on Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime squad and follow an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was let go pending further enquiries.