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Two men have been detained as an element of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous heap of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a previous investigation which uncovered the operation of more than 500 unauthorized sites across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental authorities said that the apprehensions were for ecological and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. Both men have been released on bail.

Size of the Situation

The dump in near Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to house around 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is consists of what appears to be sorted domestic refuse, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tyres and other domestic items.

It is just one of 517 unlawful tips across England, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such larger dumps is probably to be higher, as the environment body has previously stated it does not maintain information on volume for all unlawful site.

The majority sites are in agricultural areas, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement say numerous are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by charging far less than licensed firms to take and bury waste.

Companies have to pay site fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the amount and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington dump started earlier this month due to worries over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste removal company has been awarded the task to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the country's environment division commented that the authority would be looking to claim back the remediation funds under confiscation laws from any individual found guilty at the termination of its current case.

She added that this week's apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "follow more leads to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"This unlawful tip at Kidlington was an appalling and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the local frustration at this horrific act," she remarked.

A cabinet official welcomed the actions, adding: "The illegal deposit of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has led to significant detriment to the environment and distress to the nearby community.

"Our authorities is pledged to stamping out this kind of illegal activity across the UK, by augmenting funds to combat waste crime, hiring more personnel and introducing stricter checks and sanctions for those who flout the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by officers from a regional serious crime unit and follow an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was let go pending additional inquiries.