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

Officials indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in connection with the massive mound of waste dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous revelation which exposed the presence of over 500 unlawful sites throughout England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environmental body stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial violations and represented a "vital step" in continuing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The dump in Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to hold about 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of waste is composed of what seems to be processed domestic rubbish, fragmented plastics, Styrofoam, tires and various household items.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized sites across England, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total amount of such major sites is probably to be larger, as the environmental agency has previously acknowledged it does not possess information on volume for every unlawful site.

The majority sites are in countryside settings, typically hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Organized Operations

Police state numerous are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by asking for much less than licensed operators to take and bury rubbish.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use licensed landfill sites, based on the amount and type of waste they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Preparation work to clear the Kidlington area location commenced earlier this month due to worries over the threat of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been granted the contract to deal with the area over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the country's environmental crime unit stated that the authority would be looking to recover the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime laws from any individual ultimately convicted at the end of its active investigation.

She further stated that this week's detentions would help "push the probe forward" and permit officials to "follow more leads to determine in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"The unauthorized site at the site was an appalling and intentional affront on our ecology and we empathize with the public's anger at this horrific crime," she said.

A government official praised the detentions, commenting: "The unauthorized tipping of rubbish at this location is disgraceful and has caused significant detriment to the ecology and distress to the surrounding community.

"The government is committed to eradicating this category of illegal activity in the country, by increasing funds to address waste crime, employing more officers and introducing tougher controls and penalties for those who break the rules."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by agents from a specialist serious crime squad and follow an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in November. He was let go awaiting further inquiries.