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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in association with the massive mound of rubbish deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a recent report which revealed the operation of over 500 unauthorized sites across the country of England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the regulatory agency commented that the detentions were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and represented a "vital step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been let go on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in near Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to contain about 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of waste is made up of what seems to be processed residential refuse, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted domestic articles.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal sites throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall amount of such larger sites is expected to be higher, as the environmental authority has earlier acknowledged it does not hold data on weight for all illegal site.

A large proportion of sites are in rural areas, frequently concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural ground.

Organized Enterprise

Authorities state numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by demanding far less than licensed operators to accept and bury waste.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the amount and type of waste they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Frustration

Preparation operations to clear the Kidlington area dump started in recent weeks following fears over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.

A private clean-up firm has been granted the job to remediate the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's regulatory division said that the authority would be looking to claim back the clearance funds under confiscation laws from anyone convicted at the termination of its current investigation.

She added that these arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what happened and who was involved".

"This unlawful dump at this location was an shocking and deliberate assault on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the community's outrage at this egregious act," she remarked.

A government official supported the actions, stating: "The unauthorized tipping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has caused substantial detriment to the environment and anguish to the local community.

"The government is pledged to stamping out this kind of criminality across the country, by boosting financing to address environmental crime, employing more personnel and implementing tougher controls and penalties for those who break the law."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a specialist organised crime team and are in addition to an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in November. He was set free subject to more investigations.