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

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in association with the massive heap of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a prior revelation which uncovered the operation of over 500 unauthorized dumps throughout the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environmental body said that the detentions were for environmental and financial offences and were a "vital step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Size of the Issue

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to house around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of waste is consists of what seems to be sorted residential refuse, chopped up plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and other domestic articles.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unauthorized tips across England, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total amount of such bigger sites is probably to be greater, as the environmental authority has in the past indicated it does not maintain records on weight for each unauthorized tip.

Most such locations are in rural areas, often concealed, and on land that is intended to be arable ground.

Organised Operations

Authorities state numerous are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by charging much less than legitimate operators to take and landfill waste.

Companies have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, based on the amount and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Preparatory operations to clear the affected location started in recent weeks following concerns over the risk of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted waste clearance firm has been awarded the job to remediate the area over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environment unit said that the agency would be looking to recover the clearance costs under confiscation acts from any individual ultimately found guilty at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She added that the recent detentions would help "move the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "pursue more avenues to determine exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized tip at this location was an atrocious and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and we share the community's anger at this horrific offence," she said.

A government representative welcomed the detentions, adding: "This unlawful deposit of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has led to significant detriment to the ecology and anguish to the local residents.

"Our authorities is committed to stamping out this kind of criminality in the UK, by increasing funds to address environmental crime, hiring more staff and implementing more severe checks and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were made on the specified day by agents from a specialist organised crime team and are in addition to an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in last November. He was set free pending additional inquiries.