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A pair of individuals have been detained as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of thousands of tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in connection with the huge pile of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous report which exposed the operation of over 500 unlawful dumps in England, including at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment body commented that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering violations and represented a "key step" in active investigations. Both men have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

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

This heap of waste is consists of what appears to be sorted domestic rubbish, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, automobile tires and various household items.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized sites in the country, at minimum 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tons of garbage. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The overall figure of such larger sites is likely to be larger, as the regulatory body has in the past stated it does not maintain records on weight for all unlawful dump.

The majority these sites are in countryside areas, typically hidden, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Organized Enterprise

Authorities report numerous are managed by organized crime groups, who are making money by demanding significantly less than legitimate operators to take and dispose of garbage.

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

Community Frustration

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington area site began in recent weeks amid concerns over the risk of fire and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private clean-up firm has been granted the contract to remediate the location over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national environment team commented that the agency would be looking to claim back the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime acts from any party found guilty at the end of its active investigation.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more leads to ascertain in detail what happened and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized tip at the site was an atrocious and calculated affront on our ecology and we understand the community's anger at this egregious crime," she remarked.

A cabinet representative supported the detentions, adding: "The unlawful tipping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has caused substantial damage to the environment and upset to the nearby community.

"The administration is committed to eradicating this category of crime across the country, by augmenting financing to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and implementing more severe measures and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by agents from a dedicated organised crime squad and come after an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was set free subject to additional investigations.