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Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of waste in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous mound of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a prior report which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 illegal tips throughout England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory body stated that the arrests were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what seems to be treated household rubbish, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted domestic objects.

It represents just one of 517 unlawful dumps throughout the country, at least 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of rubbish. These feature 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 bigger dumps is expected to be higher, as the regulatory authority has in the past stated it does not hold records on weight for all unauthorized site.

The majority such locations are in agricultural areas, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities report a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by charging much less than legitimate companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Companies have to pay disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Anger

Initial efforts to clean up the affected dump commenced earlier this month amid fears over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the task to remediate the area over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's regulatory division commented that the authority would be aiming to recover the clearance funds under proceeds of crime acts from anyone successfully prosecuted at the conclusion of its active inquiry.

She further stated that this week's detentions would help "move the probe forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more leads to understand in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and officials understand the community's anger at this horrific crime," she stated.

A senior representative welcomed the actions, commenting: "The illegal dumping of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has led to significant harm to the natural world and upset to the surrounding community.

"The administration is dedicated to eliminating this kind of illegal activity across the UK, by boosting resources to tackle environmental crime, hiring more staff and introducing tougher checks and sanctions for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by personnel from a specialist serious crime squad and follow an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in November. He was released pending additional investigations.