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Two men have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the huge mound of rubbish deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful tips in the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities commented that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and were a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been set free on conditional release.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to hold about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is consists of what appears to be processed residential rubbish, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and other household articles.

It is just a single of 517 illegal tips throughout the country, at least 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total figure of such larger locations is probably to be higher, as the environment agency has earlier stated it does not possess data on tonnage for all illegal dump.

The majority such locations are in countryside settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Organized Activity

Police report numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are earning money by asking for far less than licensed operators to take and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Preparation work to clean up the affected location began recently due to fears over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road.

A commercial clean-up company has been awarded the contract to remediate the location over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the government regulatory division commented that the body would be looking to recover the clean-up costs under proceeds of crime legislation from anyone ultimately found guilty at the end of its active case.

She noted that this week's arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more avenues to determine precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal site at the site was an shocking and calculated attack on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the local outrage at this terrible offence," she stated.

A senior official supported the actions, adding: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in substantial damage to the ecology and upset to the local residents.

"The administration is dedicated to stamping out this type of illegal activity in the UK, by augmenting funds to tackle illegal dumping, hiring more officers and enacting more severe controls and penalties for those who violate the law."

The arrests were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional organised crime team and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in November. He was released subject to additional enquiries.