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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the enormous heap of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a recent report which revealed the presence of over 500 unlawful tips across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory agency said that the apprehensions were for environmental and money laundering crimes and constituted a "key step" in active probes. Both men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34, is believed to hold around 21,000 tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of garbage is composed of what appears to be sorted domestic waste, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted household items.

It is just one example of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total number of such major dumps is probably to be higher, as the environment agency has earlier acknowledged it does not possess records on weight for every illegal site.

The majority these sites are in agricultural locations, frequently hidden, and on land that should be agricultural ground.

Organized Operations

Authorities say many are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating profit by charging much less than lawful firms to receive and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use legitimate disposal sites, depending on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Preparatory work to clean up the Kidlington site commenced earlier this month amid concerns over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the nearby major road.

A contracted waste removal company has been granted the contract to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the government environment team stated that the agency would be aiming to claim back the clearance costs under asset recovery laws from any individual ultimately convicted at the end of its current case.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized site at the site was an shocking and deliberate affront on our natural surroundings and officials share the public's frustration at this terrible offence," she said.

A cabinet official supported the detentions, adding: "The unauthorized dumping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has caused substantial damage to the ecology and anguish to the local community.

"The authorities is dedicated to eliminating this category of crime in the country, by increasing financing to address environmental crime, employing more personnel and implementing stricter measures and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were made on Thursday by agents from a dedicated crime unit and follow an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free pending additional investigations.