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Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities indicated that a man in his late sixties was arrested at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous mound of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions follow a recent revelation which uncovered the presence of over 500 unauthorized dumps throughout England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body commented that the detentions were for environmental and money laundering offences and were a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. Both men have been released on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34, is thought to house around 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of rubbish is consists of what appears to be processed residential refuse, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and various domestic objects.

It represents just one example of 517 unauthorized sites in England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. They encompass a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger sites is likely to be greater, as the regulatory agency has in the past acknowledged it does not hold records on volume for all unauthorized dump.

Most such locations are in countryside areas, frequently concealed, and on land that is intended to be arable ground.

Organised Enterprise

Police say a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are generating money by charging much less than legitimate firms to receive and dispose of rubbish.

Businesses have to incur site fees to use licensed disposal sites, contingent on the amount and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Anger

Preparation operations to remove the Kidlington area site commenced earlier this month following worries over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been given the contract to deal with the area over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the national regulatory unit stated that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime acts from any individual ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its active case.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable authorities to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was involved".

"This unlawful tip at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate affront on our natural surroundings and we understand the public's frustration at this terrible crime," she stated.

A senior representative praised the detentions, adding: "The unauthorized dumping of waste at the site is disgraceful and has resulted in considerable harm to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding residents.

"Our government is pledged to eradicating this kind of crime across the UK, by increasing resources to combat environmental crime, hiring more officers and implementing more severe checks and penalties for those who violate the regulations."

The arrests were made on the specified day by personnel from a regional serious crime team and follow an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was released awaiting more investigations.