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Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in association with the enormous pile of rubbish tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions come after a prior investigation which revealed the existence of in excess of 500 unauthorized sites throughout England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory agency said that the arrests were for ecological and financial crimes and were a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Size of the Situation

The dump in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold about 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is composed of what seems to be treated residential rubbish, chopped up plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday articles.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unlawful tips across England, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. Such sites feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total amount of such bigger sites is expected to be higher, as the regulatory authority has previously indicated it does not maintain data on tonnage for every illegal dump.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside areas, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Criminal Operations

Law enforcement report a significant number are operated by organized crime groups, who are earning cash by demanding far less than lawful operators to receive and landfill waste.

Businesses have to pay site fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the quantity and type of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Outrage

Preparatory operations to remove the affected site began earlier this month due to fears over the risk of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial clean-up company has been given the task to handle the area over the coming 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the government regulatory unit stated that the body would be aiming to claim back the clean-up expenses under asset recovery laws from anyone ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its active case.

She noted that these arrests would help "push the investigation forward" and permit officials to "pursue more leads to ascertain precisely what transpired and who was involved".

"This illegal site at the site was an shocking and calculated attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the public's outrage at this egregious offence," she stated.

A cabinet representative supported the detentions, adding: "This unauthorized tipping of rubbish at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant harm to the ecology and anguish to the nearby community.

"The administration is committed to stamping out this category of criminality in the nation, by boosting resources to tackle illegal dumping, hiring more personnel and implementing stricter checks and sanctions for those who break the regulations."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a dedicated crime unit and come after an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was let go subject to more investigations.