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Two men have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tonnes of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in the town of Slough in relation with the huge pile of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a previous report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful sites throughout the country of England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment body commented that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering violations and were a "vital step" in continuing probes. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to hold about 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of waste is composed of what looks to be treated domestic refuse, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, tyres and other domestic items.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unlawful dumps across England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total number of such bigger dumps is probably to be higher, as the regulatory body has previously acknowledged it does not hold records on volume for each unauthorized site.

Most sites are in agricultural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural land.

Organized Activity

Law enforcement report many are managed by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by asking for significantly less than lawful companies to receive and dispose of garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the amount and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Initial operations to remove the Kidlington site began recently following fears over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private clean-up firm has been awarded the task to handle the location over the following 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the government environmental crime team commented that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance funds under proceeds of crime legislation from anyone found guilty at the end of its active case.

She further stated that these detentions would help "push the probe forward" and allow the agency to "follow more leads to understand in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"The illegal dump at the site was an appalling and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and we understand the public's frustration at this horrific offence," she stated.

A cabinet minister praised the actions, adding: "This unlawful dumping of rubbish at the site is appalling and has led to significant damage to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding population.

"Our authorities is committed to eradicating this kind of criminality in the nation, by boosting funds to address waste crime, employing more staff and introducing tougher checks and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The detentions were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a specialist serious crime unit and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was let go awaiting further inquiries.