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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in association with the huge heap of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions come after a previous report which exposed the presence of over 500 illegal sites across England, including at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. Both men have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of garbage is made up of what seems to be processed household refuse, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and various domestic articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 illegal sites in the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such bigger sites is probably to be higher, as the environment authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold information on volume for every unauthorized tip.

Most these sites are in countryside areas, typically hidden, and on land that should be farm ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Police state many are managed by organized crime groups, who are earning money by charging significantly less than legitimate operators to take and landfill rubbish.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use legitimate waste facilities, depending on the amount and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Preparation work to remove the affected site started earlier this month following concerns over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted waste clearance firm has been awarded the contract to handle the site over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the government environment division stated that the body would be aiming to recoup the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime legislation from anyone ultimately prosecuted at the end of its active case.

She added that these detentions would help "push the probe forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This illegal dump at this location was an appalling and deliberate assault on our environment and the authorities empathize with the public's anger at this terrible crime," she said.

A government representative supported the arrests, commenting: "This unauthorized deposit of garbage at this location is appalling and has caused substantial detriment to the ecology and anguish to the nearby population.

"Our administration is dedicated to eradicating this category of crime throughout the nation, by increasing resources to tackle illegal dumping, hiring more staff and enacting more severe controls and sanctions for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated organised crime team and are in addition to an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was released awaiting more inquiries.