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A pair of individuals have been detained as part of an probe into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in association with the massive pile of garbage tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous report which exposed the presence of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps throughout England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environmental authorities stated that the arrests were for environment-related and financial violations and were a "crucial step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to contain about 21,000 tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of waste is made up of what looks to be processed domestic waste, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and assorted everyday objects.

It represents just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps across England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total amount of such larger sites is likely to be higher, as the environment authority has previously stated it does not possess information on volume for each unauthorized dump.

A large proportion of such locations are in rural locations, often out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Criminal Activity

Police say many are operated by organized crime groups, who are generating cash by demanding far less than licensed companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the quantity and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Anger

Preparation work to clear the affected location started in recent weeks due to fears over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

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

An investigations officer for the country's regulatory unit said that the body would be seeking to recoup the clean-up expenses under confiscation legislation from any individual successfully found guilty at the termination of its current investigation.

She noted that these arrests would help "push the probe forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more avenues to understand in detail what happened and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized dump at Kidlington was an shocking and intentional attack on our ecology and officials empathize with the local anger at this egregious offence," she said.

A senior representative praised the arrests, adding: "This unlawful tipping of waste at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has caused considerable damage to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding community.

"Our administration is pledged to stamping out this type of illegal activity in the UK, by boosting resources to combat environmental crime, hiring more staff and implementing more severe checks and sanctions for those who break the law."

The arrests were executed on a recent Thursday by personnel from a dedicated serious crime team and are in addition to an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was released awaiting more inquiries.