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Two men have been detained as an element of an investigation into the dumping of thousands of tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in association with the huge pile of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous report which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 unlawful tips throughout the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environment authorities said that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering violations and were a "crucial step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The dump in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to contain around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what seems to be treated domestic rubbish, chopped up plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tyres and other everyday articles.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unlawful tips in England, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger dumps is likely to be greater, as the environmental authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold information on tonnage for all unlawful site.

The majority these sites are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Organised Activity

Law enforcement report many are managed by criminal organizations, who are making cash by charging much less than licensed companies to accept and landfill waste.

Companies have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, based on the volume and nature of waste they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Initial work to clear the Kidlington dump started in recent weeks amid worries over the risk of fire and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been given the task to remediate the area over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the national regulatory team stated that the agency would be looking to recover the clearance costs under asset recovery acts from any individual successfully found guilty at the termination of its active case.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and enable authorities to "pursue more leads to determine precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful dump at the site was an shocking and calculated assault on our environment and the authorities empathize with the local outrage at this terrible offence," she stated.

A cabinet official supported the actions, adding: "The illegal tipping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has led to significant harm to the natural world and distress to the surrounding residents.

"The government is dedicated to stamping out this category of criminality throughout the UK, by boosting funds to combat illegal dumping, employing more staff and implementing stricter measures and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime unit and follow an prior detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was let go pending more investigations.