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Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the huge pile of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a previous revelation which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps across the country of England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory body commented that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "vital step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Situation

The dump in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to hold about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what looks to be sorted domestic waste, chopped up plastic items, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted everyday items.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized tips throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of rubbish. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall amount of such major locations is expected to be higher, as the environment authority has in the past indicated it does not hold data on tonnage for every unauthorized site.

The majority such locations are in countryside settings, typically hidden, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Criminal Activity

Police say many are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding far less than licensed firms to receive and landfill garbage.

Firms have to incur gate fees to use licensed disposal sites, contingent on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Outrage

Preparation efforts to clean up the Kidlington site started earlier this month amid concerns over the potential of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by highway.

A commercial waste removal firm has been granted the contract to deal with the area over the following 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the government regulatory unit commented that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clearance costs under asset recovery acts from any individual prosecuted at the termination of its active case.

She noted that this week's detentions would help "drive the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "investigate more leads to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful dump at this location was an atrocious and calculated assault on our environment and officials understand the local outrage at this egregious crime," she stated.

A cabinet minister supported the detentions, commenting: "The illegal deposit of garbage at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has caused substantial harm to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding population.

"Our authorities is committed to stamping out this type of crime throughout the UK, by augmenting financing to address illegal dumping, employing more officers and introducing stricter controls and sanctions for those who break the law."

The arrests were carried out on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional organised crime squad and come after an prior apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in last November. He was released pending further enquiries.