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Two individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tons of waste in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in association with the massive pile of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a recent revelation which uncovered the presence of over 500 illegal sites in the country of England, including at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environmental body commented that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering crimes and were a "crucial step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on pre-trial release.

Size of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to contain around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of waste is composed of what seems to be treated household rubbish, shredded plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and various everyday objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized tips across England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tons of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual figure of such bigger locations is likely to be higher, as the environment agency has previously indicated it does not hold records on tonnage for all unauthorized tip.

The majority these sites are in agricultural areas, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be arable land.

Organised Activity

Law enforcement state many are operated by criminal organizations, who are making money by charging significantly less than legitimate companies to receive and dispose of rubbish.

Firms have to incur site fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the volume and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Frustration

Preparatory efforts to clean up the Kidlington location started earlier this month following worries over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A private waste clearance contractor has been granted the contract to handle the area over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's environment team commented that the authority would be looking to claim back the remediation funds under asset recovery legislation from any individual successfully found guilty at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She noted that these arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow officials to "follow more avenues to understand in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an shocking and intentional attack on our ecology and the authorities share the local frustration at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A senior official praised the actions, stating: "The unauthorized deposit of rubbish at the site is utterly appalling and has caused considerable harm to the natural world and upset to the nearby residents.

"Our government is dedicated to stamping out this category of crime throughout the UK, by boosting financing to address illegal dumping, employing more personnel and enacting tougher controls and penalties for those who flout the rules."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by agents from a dedicated serious crime team and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in November. He was let go awaiting additional investigations.