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

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the massive heap of rubbish deposited near Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a previous report which uncovered the presence of over 500 unlawful dumps in the country of England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environment body stated that the detentions were for environment-related and financial violations and represented a "key step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34, is believed to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is made up of what looks to be treated residential waste, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and other domestic articles.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal tips in England, at minimum 11 of which contain over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These encompass a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall number of such larger locations is expected to be higher, as the regulatory agency has earlier stated it does not maintain records on volume for each unlawful dump.

Most sites are in rural settings, typically hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural land.

Organised Operations

Authorities say many are run by organized crime groups, who are making money by demanding significantly less than lawful firms to receive and bury garbage.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the amount and type of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington area location started recently amid worries over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A private waste removal contractor has been awarded the job to handle the site over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national environment team commented that the agency would be seeking to claim back the remediation costs under proceeds of crime acts from any individual successfully found guilty at the conclusion of its active case.

She added that this week's detentions would help "push the investigation forward" and allow the agency to "follow more leads to understand exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful site at this location was an shocking and intentional assault on our natural surroundings and we share the public's outrage at this horrific crime," she stated.

A cabinet minister welcomed the detentions, commenting: "This illegal tipping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in considerable detriment to the environment and upset to the local community.

"The administration is committed to eradicating this kind of illegal activity across the nation, by increasing financing to tackle environmental crime, employing more staff and introducing more severe controls and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by officers from a regional organised crime team and follow an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was released subject to additional investigations.