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Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the huge mound of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions follow a prior investigation which uncovered the operation of over 500 illegal tips across the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment body said that the apprehensions were for environmental and money laundering violations and constituted a "crucial step" in active investigations. Both men have been set free on bail.

Size of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to contain 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 composed of what looks to be processed household rubbish, fragmented plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tires and other everyday objects.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps across the country, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such major sites is expected to be higher, as the environment authority has earlier indicated it does not possess data on tonnage for each unauthorized site.

The majority such locations are in agricultural settings, typically hidden, and on land that should be agricultural ground.

Organised Activity

Authorities say a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are making money by charging far less than licensed firms to accept and dispose of garbage.

Businesses have to pay gate fees to use legitimate waste facilities, contingent on the volume and nature of material they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Preparatory operations to clean up the Kidlington area site started in recent weeks amid fears over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A commercial clean-up contractor has been given the job to handle the site over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the government regulatory division stated that the agency would be looking to claim back the clean-up funds under confiscation acts from any individual successfully found guilty at the termination of its current case.

She noted that this week's detentions would help "drive the probe forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more avenues to understand exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unauthorized dump at the site was an appalling and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and officials empathize with the public's anger at this egregious crime," she remarked.

A government representative welcomed the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized deposit of waste at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused considerable damage to the environment and distress to the surrounding community.

"Our government is dedicated to eradicating this kind of crime throughout the nation, by boosting financing to combat environmental crime, recruiting more officers and enacting tougher checks and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by officers from a regional organised crime unit and come after an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was released subject to further investigations.