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Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in relation with the massive pile of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a prior report which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 illegal dumps across England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment agency said that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering crimes and constituted a "key step" in continuing investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is consists of what seems to be processed residential rubbish, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tires and assorted household articles.

It is just one example of 517 illegal dumps throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 metric tons of waste. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in the county of 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 bigger locations is expected to be higher, as the environmental authority has earlier indicated it does not maintain records on tonnage for every unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of sites are in countryside settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be arable ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Law enforcement report numerous are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating cash by demanding far less than legitimate operators to take and bury rubbish.

Firms have to pay site fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the amount and nature of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Preparation efforts to clear the affected dump began recently amid fears over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial waste clearance contractor has been granted the contract to remediate the location over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national regulatory team said that the authority would be aiming to recoup the remediation funds under proceeds of crime acts from any individual found guilty at the end of its current inquiry.

She further stated that this week's arrests would help "drive the probe forward" and enable the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized dump at the site was an shocking and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the local frustration at this terrible act," she stated.

A senior representative praised the arrests, adding: "This illegal tipping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has caused considerable harm to the natural world and distress to the surrounding community.

"Our government is committed to eliminating this kind of criminality throughout the UK, by boosting resources to address illegal dumping, hiring more personnel and implementing tougher measures and sanctions for those who flout the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by agents from a regional crime unit and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was let go pending further inquiries.