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Two men have been arrested as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in association with the massive heap of rubbish tipped near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a recent report which uncovered the existence of over 500 unlawful dumps across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory authorities stated that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering crimes and were a "crucial step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been released on bail.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is consists of what looks to be treated domestic refuse, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and other household articles.

It is just one of 517 unauthorized sites in the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger dumps is expected to be greater, as the regulatory agency has earlier stated it does not maintain data on tonnage for each illegal site.

The majority such locations are in rural locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be farm ground.

Organized Operations

Authorities state a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are generating cash by demanding far less than lawful firms to accept and landfill rubbish.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use lawful landfill sites, contingent on the quantity and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Preparatory efforts to clear the affected dump began recently following fears over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been awarded the contract to handle the location over the coming 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the national regulatory unit said that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clean-up expenses under asset recovery laws from anyone successfully found guilty at the end of its current case.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and enable authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what happened and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized dump at this location was an atrocious and deliberate assault on our environment and we empathize with the local outrage at this horrific offence," she said.

A cabinet official supported the detentions, commenting: "The unauthorized tipping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has led to considerable damage to the natural world and anguish to the nearby residents.

"Our government is pledged to eliminating this kind of criminality throughout the country, by increasing resources to combat waste crime, recruiting more personnel and enacting more severe measures and sanctions for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were executed on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional crime unit and follow an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was let go awaiting more inquiries.