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Two men have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tons of refuse in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in connection with the huge heap of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions follow a previous investigation which uncovered the operation of over 500 unlawful dumps throughout England, including at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environment agency said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and money laundering violations and were a "key step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is thought to contain about 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is consists of what seems to be processed household rubbish, shredded plastic materials, Styrofoam, tires and other domestic items.

It represents just one of 517 unlawful tips across England, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The overall number of such major locations is expected to be larger, as the environment authority has previously stated it does not hold information on tonnage for each unauthorized dump.

Most such locations are in rural areas, often hidden, and on land that is intended to be arable land.

Organised Activity

Police state a significant number are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating profit by demanding significantly less than legitimate operators to accept and bury rubbish.

Companies have to incur site fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington dump began in recent weeks due to fears over the risk of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted waste clearance company has been granted the job to handle the site over the following 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the government environment team commented that the agency would be looking to recover the clearance expenses under proceeds of crime laws from any individual ultimately convicted at the termination of its ongoing case.

She added that this week's arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow officials to "follow more leads to determine in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"The unlawful dump at the site was an atrocious and calculated affront on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the public's frustration at this egregious act," she said.

A cabinet representative welcomed the actions, adding: "This unauthorized tipping of rubbish at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in significant detriment to the environment and distress to the surrounding residents.

"Our administration is dedicated to eradicating this category of illegal activity in the country, by boosting resources to tackle illegal dumping, employing more personnel and implementing more severe checks and penalties for those who flout the law."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime unit and come after an prior detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in last November. He was set free subject to further investigations.