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Two men have been taken into custody as a component of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the enormous pile of waste dumped near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a recent revelation which uncovered the existence of over 500 unlawful tips throughout England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the regulatory agency said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and represented a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been set free on conditional release.

Scale of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to house around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is composed of what appears to be processed residential rubbish, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and various everyday articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unauthorized sites throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total figure of such larger locations is expected to be greater, as the environmental authority has previously indicated it does not possess information on weight for every unlawful tip.

The majority sites are in rural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Criminal Enterprise

Law enforcement report numerous are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by demanding significantly less than lawful firms to take and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to be liable for gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the amount and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Initial operations to clear the affected site started in recent weeks amid concerns over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A contracted waste removal firm has been granted the contract to deal with the site over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government environmental crime team stated that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clean-up costs under asset recovery acts from any individual found guilty at the end of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that these detentions would help "push the probe forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more avenues to understand in detail what happened and who was involved".

"This illegal tip at this location was an shocking and deliberate affront on our ecology and the authorities understand the public's outrage at this egregious offence," she stated.

A senior representative supported the actions, stating: "This unauthorized tipping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial damage to the natural world and upset to the local population.

"Our government is dedicated to eliminating this category of crime across the nation, by increasing resources to address waste crime, recruiting more officers and implementing more severe checks and fines for those who violate the law."

The detentions were made on a recent Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime team and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was released subject to additional enquiries.