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Two men have been detained as a component of an investigation into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the huge pile of waste tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a prior investigation which exposed the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips across England, including at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities said that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and represented a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. Both men have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

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

This heap of waste is composed of what appears to be sorted household waste, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and other household items.

It represents just one example of 517 unauthorized sites throughout the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. They encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger locations is expected to be greater, as the regulatory authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold records on tonnage for each illegal tip.

A large proportion of sites are in rural areas, frequently concealed, and on land that should be agricultural property.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities report a significant number are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning money by asking for significantly less than lawful operators to accept and dispose of garbage.

Companies have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed disposal sites, contingent on the volume and type of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Preparation efforts to clear the affected dump commenced earlier this month amid concerns over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A private waste removal contractor has been given the contract to remediate the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's environment division said that the authority would be seeking to claim back the clean-up expenses under asset recovery legislation from any individual successfully prosecuted at the end of its ongoing case.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain in detail what happened and who was involved".

"The unlawful dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and intentional assault on our environment and we share the local anger at this horrific act," she remarked.

A government minister praised the arrests, commenting: "The illegal tipping of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has resulted in significant detriment to the environment and anguish to the local residents.

"The administration is dedicated to stamping out this category of criminality throughout the nation, by boosting financing to combat environmental crime, recruiting more officers and implementing stricter measures and penalties for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime team and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was set free pending additional inquiries.