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Two men have been taken into custody as part of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the massive mound of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a recent report which uncovered the operation of more than 500 unauthorized sites throughout the country of England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities said that the arrests were for ecological and proceeds of crime offences and represented a "crucial step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house around 21,000 tonnes of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of rubbish is made up of what appears to be sorted household waste, fragmented plastic items, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and various household items.

It is just one of 517 unlawful tips in England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger locations is likely to be higher, as the environmental agency has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain data on weight for all unauthorized tip.

Most such locations are in agricultural locations, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm property.

Criminal Operations

Authorities state many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding significantly less than legitimate companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Companies have to incur site fees to use lawful disposal sites, depending on the amount and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Preparatory efforts to remove the Kidlington dump started earlier this month following fears over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A commercial waste clearance contractor has been given the contract to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the country's regulatory unit said that the agency would be seeking to recover the clearance funds under proceeds of crime laws from anyone ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its active inquiry.

She added that these arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more leads to ascertain exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"This illegal site at Kidlington was an appalling and intentional assault on our ecology and we understand the public's anger at this egregious crime," she remarked.

A cabinet representative welcomed the detentions, adding: "This illegal tipping of rubbish at this location is utterly appalling and has caused considerable damage to the environment and distress to the local residents.

"The government is dedicated to eradicating this category of illegal activity across the country, by augmenting funds to address illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and enacting more severe controls and sanctions for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by agents from a regional organised crime unit and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was released pending further enquiries.