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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an probe into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in association with the massive mound of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions come after a prior investigation which exposed the existence of over 500 illegal sites in England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities commented that the detentions were for environmental and money laundering offences and constituted a "vital step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what appears to be sorted household refuse, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted domestic articles.

It represents just one of 517 unlawful sites throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual amount of such major dumps is expected to be greater, as the environmental agency has earlier acknowledged it does not possess data on weight for every unlawful tip.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside areas, often out of sight, and on land that should be farm ground.

Organized Operations

Authorities say many are run by organized crime groups, who are generating money by demanding much less than licensed operators to accept and bury garbage.

Companies have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Outrage

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington dump started in recent weeks following fears over the potential of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the job to deal with the area over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government regulatory unit said that the body would be looking to recover the clean-up funds under confiscation acts from anyone found guilty at the end of its ongoing investigation.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the probe forward" and allow authorities to "follow more leads to determine precisely what happened and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful dump at the site was an atrocious and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the local frustration at this egregious crime," she stated.

A senior minister praised the detentions, adding: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has caused considerable harm to the natural world and distress to the nearby population.

"Our authorities is committed to eliminating this kind of criminality throughout the country, by increasing financing to combat waste crime, recruiting more staff and introducing tougher measures and penalties for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were made on a recent Thursday by personnel from a dedicated organised crime team and come after an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in last November. He was let go awaiting additional investigations.