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

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous mound of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a previous investigation which uncovered the existence of more than 500 unauthorized sites throughout England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory body stated that the arrests were for ecological and financial crimes and represented a "vital step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of garbage is composed of what appears to be sorted household refuse, fragmented plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and assorted everyday objects.

It is just one example of 517 illegal sites across the country, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of waste. They encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger sites is probably to be larger, as the regulatory agency has previously acknowledged it does not maintain data on tonnage for each illegal site.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that should be agricultural land.

Criminal Enterprise

Police report many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by demanding significantly less than legitimate companies to receive and bury waste.

Firms have to be liable for site fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the volume and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Preparatory work to clear the Kidlington area location commenced in recent weeks amid fears over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

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

An enforcement officer for the government environment division stated that the authority would be seeking to claim back the remediation funds under asset recovery acts from anyone successfully convicted at the end of its active case.

She noted that the recent detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and allow the agency to "pursue more avenues to determine precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"This illegal dump at the site was an appalling and deliberate affront on our environment and we understand the public's anger at this horrific act," she said.

A government official praised the detentions, commenting: "The illegal deposit of rubbish at the site is appalling and has led to significant harm to the ecology and distress to the surrounding population.

"Our government is committed to stamping out this category of illegal activity across the nation, by boosting funds to tackle environmental crime, employing more officers and introducing tougher checks and penalties for those who break the rules."

The arrests were carried out on the specified day by officers from a dedicated serious crime squad and are in addition to an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was set free subject to further inquiries.