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Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the huge heap of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous report which revealed the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized sites throughout England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities said that the arrests were for environmental and financial offences and represented a "key step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to hold about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is consists of what appears to be treated residential waste, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and other household objects.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized sites across England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such bigger dumps is expected to be higher, as the environment authority has in the past stated it does not hold information on weight for every illegal tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural areas, often hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Criminal Operations

Police state numerous are run by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by asking for significantly less than legitimate operators to receive and landfill garbage.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use licensed disposal sites, contingent on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Frustration

Initial efforts to remove the affected dump commenced in recent weeks following concerns over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A contracted waste removal firm has been awarded the job to handle the area over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environment unit said that the agency would be looking to claim back the clean-up expenses under confiscation acts from any individual successfully convicted at the end of its ongoing investigation.

She further stated that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and enable the agency to "follow more avenues to understand precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"This illegal tip at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate attack on our ecology and the authorities understand the local anger at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A government representative praised the detentions, stating: "This illegal tipping of waste at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has caused significant harm to the ecology and anguish to the nearby population.

"Our government is pledged to stamping out this type of crime across the country, by increasing funds to tackle waste crime, hiring more personnel and implementing tougher checks and fines for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by agents from a regional organised crime team and come after an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting more inquiries.