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A pair of individuals have been detained as a component of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous mound of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous investigation which revealed the existence of over 500 unauthorized dumps across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory body commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and money laundering crimes and represented a "vital step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to hold around 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of waste is made up of what appears to be treated domestic waste, fragmented plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various domestic articles.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful sites across England, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tons of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger dumps is expected to be larger, as the environment agency has previously indicated it does not maintain information on tonnage for each unlawful dump.

Most these sites are in agricultural locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural property.

Criminal Activity

Law enforcement state a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are generating money by charging far less than lawful operators to take and dispose of rubbish.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Preparatory operations to remove the Kidlington area location commenced earlier this month due to fears over the threat of fire and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A private clean-up company has been granted the job to remediate the location over the coming 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the government environment unit said that the body would be aiming to recover the clearance funds under asset recovery acts from any individual convicted at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and enable authorities to "follow more avenues to understand precisely what occurred and who was involved".

"This unlawful site at the site was an appalling and intentional affront on our environment and we understand the local anger at this egregious act," she stated.

A government representative supported the detentions, stating: "The unauthorized tipping of rubbish at the site is appalling and has resulted in considerable damage to the environment and anguish to the surrounding community.

"The government is committed to eliminating this category of crime across the nation, by boosting resources to address environmental crime, recruiting more officers and introducing tougher checks and fines for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were made on the specified day by officers from a specialist organised crime team and are in addition to an previous arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in November. He was released pending more investigations.