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Two individuals have been taken into custody as part of an probe into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of waste in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the enormous heap of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests come after a prior investigation which revealed the existence of more than 500 illegal dumps across England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental agency commented that the detentions were for environment-related and money laundering crimes and were a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what appears to be treated residential refuse, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and other domestic objects.

It is just one example of 517 unlawful dumps across England, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual figure of such bigger dumps is expected to be larger, as the regulatory agency has previously indicated it does not hold data on weight for all illegal dump.

A large proportion of such locations are in agricultural areas, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Organised Operations

Authorities state many are run by criminal organizations, who are generating profit by demanding far less than legitimate firms to accept and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, contingent on the amount and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Initial operations to remove the Kidlington site started in recent weeks due to worries over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial clean-up company has been given the job to remediate the site over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's regulatory unit commented that the body would be seeking to recoup the clean-up expenses under confiscation laws from any individual found guilty at the conclusion of its current case.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "move the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"This illegal site at the site was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our ecology and officials empathize with the local outrage at this terrible crime," she stated.

A senior representative supported the actions, stating: "This illegal deposit of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has led to significant detriment to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding community.

"Our government is dedicated to eradicating this type of illegal activity across the country, by boosting financing to tackle waste crime, employing more personnel and enacting stricter checks and fines for those who flout the law."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by personnel from a regional crime team and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was released awaiting additional investigations.