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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an inquiry into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in association with the massive pile of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous revelation which revealed the presence of over 500 unlawful dumps in the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory agency said that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial crimes and were a "key step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is thought to house about 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of garbage is made up of what seems to be treated household rubbish, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted domestic objects.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized dumps throughout England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total number of such major locations is probably to be higher, as the regulatory agency has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain data on weight for each unlawful site.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural areas, often hidden, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Criminal Enterprise

Police state a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning money by demanding far less than lawful companies to take and bury garbage.

Firms have to incur site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Frustration

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington site commenced recently due to fears over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by highway.

A commercial waste clearance company has been given the job to handle the area over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the national regulatory team said that the body would be seeking to claim back the clean-up funds under confiscation legislation from anyone successfully found guilty at the conclusion of its current inquiry.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable officials to "follow more avenues to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This illegal site at the site was an appalling and deliberate attack on our natural surroundings and officials empathize with the local outrage at this horrific offence," she stated.

A government representative welcomed the actions, adding: "The unauthorized dumping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has led to considerable detriment to the environment and upset to the local population.

"The authorities is committed to eliminating this category of illegal activity throughout the UK, by boosting financing to combat environmental crime, employing more staff and enacting stricter controls and fines for those who flout the law."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by agents from a specialist crime unit and come after an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was released pending further enquiries.