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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in association with the huge mound of waste tipped near Kidlington.

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

A spokeswoman for the environmental authorities stated that the apprehensions were for ecological and financial crimes and represented a "key step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is composed of what looks to be sorted household waste, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, tires and other household articles.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized sites in England, at least 11 of which contain over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such bigger locations is expected to be greater, as the environmental body has in the past indicated it does not hold records on volume for every unlawful site.

A large proportion of such locations are in agricultural settings, often concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities state numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by charging much less than licensed companies to accept and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to incur site fees to use licensed waste facilities, based on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Anger

Preparatory efforts to remove the Kidlington area dump began in recent weeks due to fears over the potential of blaze and the effect that would have on the nearby highway.

A contracted clean-up firm has been given the task to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's environment unit commented that the body would be looking to claim back the clean-up funds under asset recovery legislation from anyone found guilty at the end of its active investigation.

She further stated that these apprehensions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more avenues to determine in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"The unlawful tip at the site was an shocking and deliberate affront on our environment and officials empathize with the community's anger at this horrific act," she stated.

A government official welcomed the detentions, commenting: "This unlawful tipping of rubbish at Kidlington is disgraceful and has led to substantial harm to the ecology and anguish to the surrounding residents.

"The government is pledged to eradicating this type of crime across the UK, by increasing funds to combat environmental crime, recruiting more personnel and introducing tougher measures and fines for those who break the rules."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a specialist crime unit and come after an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was released awaiting additional investigations.