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A pair of individuals have been detained as part of an inquiry into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the massive pile of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a prior investigation which exposed the presence of over 500 illegal dumps in the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory body commented that the apprehensions were for ecological and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "key step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is thought to contain about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of garbage is made up of what appears to be sorted household rubbish, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted household items.

It is just one of 517 illegal tips in England, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total figure of such major locations is expected to be higher, as the regulatory authority has in the past acknowledged it does not hold data on tonnage for each unauthorized dump.

A large proportion of sites are in countryside settings, typically hidden, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Organized Operations

Police say many are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by demanding much less than lawful firms to accept and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to be liable for disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the volume and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Outrage

Preparatory operations to clear the affected location started in recent weeks following concerns over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial clean-up company has been granted the job to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the government regulatory division commented that the agency would be aiming to claim back the remediation funds under asset recovery acts from any party ultimately found guilty at the end of its active case.

She added that these arrests would help "push the probe forward" and permit officials to "pursue more leads to understand exactly what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal tip at this location was an appalling and calculated assault on our natural surroundings and officials understand the community's outrage at this egregious crime," she stated.

A government minister praised the actions, stating: "The unlawful dumping of waste at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has caused significant harm to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding population.

"The administration is pledged to eradicating this kind of criminality in the UK, by increasing financing to tackle waste crime, employing more personnel and introducing stricter controls and penalties for those who violate the law."

The detentions were executed on the specified day by agents from a dedicated crime unit and are in addition to an prior detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in November. He was let go subject to additional enquiries.