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A pair of individuals have been detained as a component of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the huge mound of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions follow a recent investigation which uncovered the operation of over 500 illegal sites throughout the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment agency stated that the detentions were for ecological and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "key step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the river Cherwell and the A34, is thought to house around 21,000 tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of garbage is made up of what seems to be sorted residential refuse, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, automobile tires and various everyday items.

It is just a single of 517 illegal sites throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total number of such bigger dumps is likely to be larger, as the regulatory body has previously indicated it does not possess records on tonnage for every unlawful dump.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural areas, often hidden, and on land that should be arable ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities say numerous are managed by organised crime gangs, who are generating cash by charging much less than licensed companies to receive and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to incur gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the quantity and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Outrage

Initial efforts to clean up the Kidlington location commenced in recent weeks following fears over the risk of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste clearance company has been given the contract to remediate the area over the following 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the national environmental crime unit said that the authority would be seeking to recoup the clearance costs under confiscation laws from anyone prosecuted at the end of its current case.

She added that this week's arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow officials to "pursue more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful dump at the site was an atrocious and intentional assault on our environment and we share the public's outrage at this terrible crime," she stated.

A government official welcomed the actions, stating: "The unauthorized dumping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has led to substantial harm to the ecology and distress to the surrounding residents.

"The authorities is committed to eradicating this category of criminality throughout the country, by increasing resources to address waste crime, recruiting more staff and implementing stricter controls and sanctions for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime team and follow an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in November. He was let go pending additional enquiries.