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Two individuals have been detained as an element of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the enormous mound of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a recent revelation which uncovered the existence of over 500 unlawful sites in the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment body commented that the arrests were for environmental and financial violations and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to house around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is consists of what seems to be sorted residential refuse, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted domestic items.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal sites in England, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of garbage. These encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall figure of such larger dumps is probably to be greater, as the environment body has previously acknowledged it does not hold information on volume for every illegal tip.

The majority these sites are in rural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Criminal Enterprise

Law enforcement say a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are generating cash by demanding far less than lawful firms to take and dispose of waste.

Companies have to pay disposal fees to use lawful disposal sites, contingent on the volume and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Preparation operations to clean up the affected dump started recently due to worries over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the nearby A-road.

A private waste removal company has been awarded the job to handle the area over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the country's regulatory unit commented that the body would be looking to recoup the clearance costs under proceeds of crime acts from any party found guilty at the termination of its ongoing inquiry.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "investigate more avenues to understand precisely what happened and who was involved".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our ecology and we share the local frustration at this egregious offence," she stated.

A senior minister supported the actions, stating: "The unauthorized tipping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has caused considerable detriment to the natural world and upset to the surrounding residents.

"Our authorities is dedicated to eliminating this category of crime throughout the country, by increasing funds to address environmental crime, recruiting more staff and introducing more severe checks and penalties for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a dedicated organised crime unit and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was set free pending additional inquiries.