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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the dumping of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous heap of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a recent report which exposed the existence of more than 500 unauthorized tips throughout England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment agency commented that the detentions were for environmental and money laundering violations and constituted a "vital step" in continuing investigations. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The tipping ground in Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to hold approximately 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is made up of what looks to be processed residential waste, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, automobile tires and various household articles.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful tips throughout England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual figure of such major sites is likely to be higher, as the environmental body has earlier stated it does not maintain data on tonnage for each unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of sites are in countryside locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm property.

Criminal Operations

Law enforcement state numerous are managed by criminal organizations, who are earning cash by asking for significantly less than licensed firms to take and bury rubbish.

Companies have to pay site fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the amount and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Initial efforts to clear the Kidlington site began earlier this month following fears over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted waste removal firm has been granted the task to deal with the site over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the country's regulatory division stated that the authority would be aiming to recover the clearance costs under confiscation laws from any party successfully prosecuted at the conclusion of its current investigation.

She noted that the recent detentions would help "push the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain precisely what happened and who was a party to it".

"The unauthorized tip at this location was an shocking and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and officials share the public's anger at this egregious crime," she remarked.

A government representative welcomed the arrests, stating: "This illegal tipping of waste at the site is disgraceful and has led to considerable harm to the natural world and anguish to the local residents.

"The government is committed to stamping out this kind of illegal activity throughout the UK, by increasing funds to address illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and introducing tougher controls and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by agents from a regional serious crime squad and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was released pending more investigations.