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A pair of individuals have been arrested as part of an probe into the tipping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in association with the enormous pile of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous investigation which revealed the presence of over 500 unauthorized tips across the country of England, including at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities stated that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering crimes and were a "key step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to house around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of garbage is composed of what seems to be sorted domestic refuse, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and various everyday articles.

It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The total number of such major locations is probably to be larger, as the regulatory body has earlier stated it does not possess records on volume for all unlawful site.

Most these sites are in countryside areas, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Organised Operations

Law enforcement say a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are making profit by charging much less than licensed operators to accept and bury waste.

Companies have to pay disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Preparatory operations to clear the Kidlington site commenced earlier this month due to concerns over the threat of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been awarded the task to handle the location over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the government environment division said that the body would be seeking to recoup the clean-up costs under proceeds of crime laws from any party ultimately prosecuted at the end of its ongoing investigation.

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

"This unlawful site at the site was an appalling and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and we share the local outrage at this horrific offence," she stated.

A senior representative supported the actions, adding: "The unauthorized tipping of garbage at this location is appalling and has caused considerable harm to the natural world and distress to the nearby community.

"The authorities is pledged to eliminating this type of illegal activity in the nation, by increasing financing to tackle waste crime, hiring more officers and implementing tougher checks and fines for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on a recent Thursday by officers from a specialist organised crime squad and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was let go pending further inquiries.