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Two men have been arrested as an element of an inquiry into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive pile of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a previous report which uncovered the operation of more than 500 illegal tips across England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the regulatory authorities said that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime offences and were a "vital step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is consists of what seems to be processed residential refuse, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and various everyday articles.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal sites in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of garbage. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The total number of such bigger dumps is probably to be higher, as the environmental body has in the past acknowledged it does not hold records on weight for all unlawful site.

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

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities report many are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by charging much less than licensed operators to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, depending on the volume and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Frustration

Initial work to remove the Kidlington location started earlier this month following concerns over the potential of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent highway.

A commercial clean-up firm has been granted the task to handle the location over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the national regulatory division commented that the authority would be looking to recoup the remediation costs under proceeds of crime legislation from any individual convicted at the termination of its active case.

She further stated that the recent apprehensions would help "move the investigation forward" and allow officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what happened and who was implicated".

"The unlawful dump at this location was an atrocious and intentional assault on our natural surroundings and we share the local anger at this horrific crime," she stated.

A senior minister welcomed the detentions, adding: "This illegal tipping of rubbish at Kidlington is appalling and has led to significant damage to the natural world and distress to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is pledged to stamping out this kind of illegal activity throughout the country, by augmenting resources to address environmental crime, recruiting more personnel and enacting stricter checks and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The arrests were executed on the specified day by personnel from a specialist serious crime team and follow an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was let go awaiting additional enquiries.