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Two men have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tonnes of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the massive mound of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a prior investigation which uncovered the existence of over 500 unauthorized dumps throughout the country of England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environment authorities stated that the arrests were for environmental and financial violations and represented a "key step" in continuing investigations. Both men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Situation

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to contain about 21,000 metric tons of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is consists of what seems to be sorted residential rubbish, shredded plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted domestic articles.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unauthorized tips across England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 tons of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total figure of such major locations is likely to be greater, as the environmental agency has earlier indicated it does not hold records on tonnage for each unauthorized site.

The majority these sites are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that should be farm property.

Organised Enterprise

Law enforcement say many are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by asking for far less than legitimate companies to receive and bury garbage.

Companies have to pay disposal fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Outrage

Preparation efforts to clear the Kidlington dump began recently amid worries over the threat of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted clean-up company has been awarded the contract to remediate the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the government environment division said that the body would be looking to recoup the clean-up costs under proceeds of crime laws from any party found guilty at the conclusion of its ongoing case.

She added that these detentions would help "drive the probe forward" and enable officials to "investigate more avenues to understand precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"The unauthorized tip at this location was an atrocious and calculated assault on our environment and the authorities understand the public's frustration at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A government representative supported the arrests, adding: "The unlawful dumping of garbage at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has led to considerable harm to the ecology and upset to the local residents.

"Our government is dedicated to eradicating this kind of illegal activity across the nation, by boosting funds to tackle environmental crime, employing more personnel and implementing more severe checks and sanctions for those who break the rules."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by personnel from a specialist organised crime unit and come after an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in last November. He was released awaiting further enquiries.