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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in relation with the enormous pile of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous revelation which uncovered the existence of more than 500 illegal dumps in England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental agency stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "vital step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house about 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is consists of what appears to be sorted household refuse, chopped up plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and other everyday items.

It is just one example of 517 illegal tips across the country, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger sites is expected to be greater, as the environmental authority has in the past stated it does not possess information on volume for every unlawful site.

The majority such locations are in agricultural locations, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be farm land.

Criminal Activity

Police say numerous are run by criminal organizations, who are making money by demanding much less than lawful operators to take and dispose of garbage.

Firms have to pay site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the amount and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Initial efforts to clear the Kidlington location started in recent weeks amid fears over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A private clean-up firm has been given the contract to remediate the site over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national environment division stated that the agency would be seeking to claim back the clearance expenses under asset recovery laws from anyone found guilty at the end of its current inquiry.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "follow more lines of inquiry to understand precisely what transpired and who was involved".

"This illegal site at this location was an shocking and deliberate affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the community's outrage at this horrific offence," she stated.

A cabinet minister praised the detentions, commenting: "The unlawful deposit of garbage at the site is appalling and has led to substantial harm to the environment and upset to the nearby community.

"Our authorities is committed to stamping out this category of criminality in the UK, by augmenting financing to combat illegal dumping, hiring more staff and enacting more severe checks and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by agents from a specialist serious crime team and follow an previous arrest of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in last November. He was set free subject to additional investigations.