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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as part of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous heap of rubbish dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a prior investigation which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful sites throughout the country of England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental agency stated that the detentions were for environmental and money laundering violations and constituted a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to house around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is made up of what appears to be sorted domestic refuse, fragmented plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various domestic items.

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

The overall amount of such larger locations is expected to be higher, as the environmental body has previously indicated it does not hold records on tonnage for each illegal tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural locations, often hidden, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities state numerous are operated by organized crime groups, who are making cash by demanding far less than legitimate firms to receive and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to incur gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, based on the volume and type of refuse they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington area location began earlier this month following worries over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial waste clearance contractor has been given the contract to deal with the area over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national regulatory division commented that the authority would be looking to recover the clearance funds under confiscation acts from anyone successfully convicted at the end of its current investigation.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated assault on our ecology and officials share the public's anger at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A cabinet minister praised the detentions, commenting: "The unauthorized deposit of rubbish at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has led to substantial harm to the environment and anguish to the local residents.

"The authorities is committed to eradicating this category of criminality in the country, by augmenting funds to tackle waste crime, recruiting more staff and enacting stricter measures and sanctions for those who break the rules."

The arrests were carried out on the specified day by agents from a regional organised crime unit and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was set free subject to more enquiries.