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Two men have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the massive pile of garbage dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests come after a previous revelation which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps throughout the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment body stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial violations and were a "key step" in continuing investigations. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to contain about 21,000 tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what appears to be sorted household waste, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various everyday articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unauthorized tips in the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total amount of such larger dumps is probably to be higher, as the regulatory body has previously indicated it does not maintain records on tonnage for all unlawful site.

A large proportion of such locations are in agricultural areas, frequently hidden, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Organised Activity

Police report numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are generating profit by demanding far less than legitimate operators to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Firms have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate disposal sites, depending on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory operations to remove the affected location started recently amid worries over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted clean-up firm has been given the task to deal with the location over the following 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national environmental crime division said that the agency would be aiming to claim back the clearance funds under proceeds of crime acts from any individual convicted at the termination of its active investigation.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"This unlawful dump at the site was an appalling and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the local frustration at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A government minister welcomed the detentions, adding: "This unauthorized dumping of garbage at Kidlington is appalling and has resulted in significant damage to the ecology and anguish to the local community.

"The government is pledged to stamping out this kind of illegal activity in the UK, by augmenting resources to tackle waste crime, hiring more officers and implementing more severe measures and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by agents from a specialist serious crime squad and follow an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was let go subject to additional inquiries.