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Two individuals have been arrested as part of an inquiry into the tipping of many thousands of tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in relation with the massive pile of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a recent investigation which revealed the presence of over 500 unauthorized sites in the country of England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial violations and were a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Issue

The dump in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is thought to house about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what seems to be treated residential waste, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tires and other household articles.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized dumps in England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total number of such bigger dumps is probably to be larger, as the regulatory body has earlier indicated it does not maintain data on tonnage for all unauthorized tip.

Most such locations are in countryside locations, often out of sight, and on land that is intended to be farm land.

Organized Operations

Police say a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by charging far less than legitimate firms to accept and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, based on the quantity and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Initial work to clean up the affected site commenced earlier this month amid concerns over the risk of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private waste clearance contractor has been granted the task to remediate the area over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the government environment division commented that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up expenses under asset recovery acts from any individual successfully convicted at the conclusion of its current inquiry.

She further stated that these detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated assault on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the public's frustration at this terrible act," she stated.

A cabinet official praised the actions, adding: "This illegal deposit of garbage at this location is appalling and has led to considerable damage to the natural world and anguish to the nearby population.

"The administration is dedicated to eradicating this kind of criminality across the country, by boosting resources to address waste crime, employing more personnel and introducing tougher measures and fines for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were executed on Thursday by officers from a dedicated crime team and follow an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was let go pending additional inquiries.