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Two men have been detained as part of an probe into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous heap of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous investigation which revealed the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful sites across the country of England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment authorities stated that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering offences and represented a "vital step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been let go on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to house about 21,000 tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of rubbish is made up of what appears to be sorted residential waste, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and other domestic articles.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger dumps is likely to be greater, as the regulatory agency has earlier acknowledged it does not maintain records on tonnage for every illegal site.

A large proportion of such locations are in agricultural locations, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Organised Enterprise

Police report many are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by demanding significantly less than licensed companies to receive and bury waste.

Companies have to be liable for disposal fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington dump started recently amid concerns over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been given the task to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the national environmental crime team stated that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance expenses under proceeds of crime acts from any party ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its active investigation.

She noted that these arrests would help "push the probe forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unlawful dump at this location was an atrocious and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the local frustration at this egregious crime," she said.

A government official welcomed the arrests, adding: "The illegal deposit of waste at the site is disgraceful and has led to significant harm to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding residents.

"Our authorities is pledged to eradicating this category of crime throughout the UK, by augmenting funds to address waste crime, employing more personnel and implementing more severe checks and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by agents from a dedicated crime unit and come after an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in last November. He was let go subject to further inquiries.