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Two men have been detained as an element of an probe into the tipping of many thousands of tonnes of refuse in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in association with the enormous heap of garbage deposited near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous investigation which exposed the existence of over 500 unauthorized dumps throughout England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body commented that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering violations and constituted a "key step" in ongoing investigations. Both men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The dump in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to house around 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of waste is made up of what looks to be processed domestic refuse, fragmented plastic materials, Styrofoam, automobile tires and other domestic articles.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized sites in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such major locations is expected to be larger, as the regulatory agency has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain records on weight for every illegal dump.

The majority such locations are in agricultural areas, typically out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Criminal Operations

Law enforcement say a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are generating cash by asking for far less than lawful companies to receive and dispose of rubbish.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Initial work to clear the Kidlington area site started recently following concerns over the risk of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted waste removal company has been given the contract to deal with the site over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the government environment unit said that the authority would be seeking to recoup the clean-up expenses under asset recovery acts from anyone ultimately found guilty at the end of its current inquiry.

She further stated that these arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "follow more avenues to understand in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"The illegal site at Kidlington was an appalling and deliberate attack on our ecology and we understand the public's outrage at this terrible offence," she said.

A senior representative welcomed the actions, stating: "This unlawful dumping of rubbish at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused substantial harm to the ecology and anguish to the local residents.

"Our administration is dedicated to eradicating this type of criminality throughout the country, by augmenting financing to address environmental crime, hiring more staff and implementing more severe checks and fines for those who flout the regulations."

The detentions were executed on Thursday by personnel from a regional serious crime squad and follow an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was released subject to further enquiries.