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Two individuals have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in association with the huge mound of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a recent revelation which exposed the existence of more than 500 illegal tips in England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities stated that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to house about 21,000 tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is composed of what appears to be processed domestic refuse, chopped up plastics, Styrofoam, tires and various household items.

It is just one of 517 illegal sites in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The overall figure of such bigger locations is probably to be higher, as the regulatory agency has previously acknowledged it does not possess records on volume for each illegal site.

Most these sites are in agricultural areas, typically concealed, and on land that should be farm property.

Organised Activity

Authorities state numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by demanding much less than licensed firms to receive and landfill garbage.

Firms have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate disposal sites, contingent on the amount and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory efforts to clear the Kidlington area dump began recently due to worries over the risk of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.

A commercial waste clearance company has been given the task to handle the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government regulatory division stated that the authority would be looking to claim back the clearance expenses under proceeds of crime laws from anyone ultimately found guilty at the termination of its ongoing case.

She noted that these detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "investigate more lines of inquiry to understand in detail what happened and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful tip at this location was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our natural surroundings and officials share the public's outrage at this horrific offence," she said.

A cabinet official supported the actions, stating: "This unlawful deposit of waste at the site is disgraceful and has led to considerable harm to the ecology and anguish to the nearby community.

"Our authorities is dedicated to eliminating this category of crime throughout the country, by boosting resources to combat illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and implementing more severe controls and fines for those who break the law."

The detentions were made on Thursday by agents from a regional crime team and follow an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in last November. He was set free awaiting additional inquiries.