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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as part of an investigation into the tipping of several thousand of tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in connection with the massive mound of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous report which revealed the presence of over 500 unlawful sites in England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory body stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "crucial step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to house around 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what appears to be sorted domestic refuse, fragmented plastic materials, Styrofoam, tires and assorted household objects.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful dumps throughout England, at least 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of rubbish. These encompass a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger locations is expected to be higher, as the environment authority has earlier stated it does not hold information on tonnage for all illegal site.

The majority such locations are in countryside areas, typically hidden, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Organized Enterprise

Authorities state a significant number are run by criminal organizations, who are making money by asking for much less than licensed companies to take and bury garbage.

Firms have to pay disposal fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Frustration

Preparatory efforts to clear the affected location started in recent weeks amid concerns over the potential of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A private waste removal firm has been granted the contract to remediate the location over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the national regulatory division commented that the authority would be seeking to recoup the clean-up costs under confiscation acts from anyone convicted at the termination of its ongoing inquiry.

She noted that the recent detentions would help "drive the probe forward" and allow authorities to "investigate more avenues to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"The illegal tip at this location was an atrocious and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the local frustration at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the detentions, stating: "This illegal dumping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has led to substantial harm to the ecology and distress to the nearby community.

"Our government is dedicated to eliminating this category of crime across the country, by boosting resources to tackle illegal dumping, hiring more staff and introducing tougher controls and fines for those who flout the rules."

The arrests were made on Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime squad and are in addition to an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in last November. He was released subject to more enquiries.