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Two men have been detained as an element of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of tonnes of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities indicated that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough in connection with the enormous mound of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a previous revelation which uncovered the operation of more than 500 illegal sites in England, featuring at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities said that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Size of the Problem

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

This mound of rubbish is consists of what appears to be treated household refuse, fragmented plastic items, Styrofoam, tires and assorted domestic articles.

It constitutes just one example of 517 illegal sites in England, at minimum 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 tons of garbage. These encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger locations is probably to be higher, as the environment authority has earlier stated it does not possess records on tonnage for all unauthorized site.

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

Organized Operations

Police state numerous are run by organized crime groups, who are generating money by demanding far less than licensed firms to take and bury waste.

Companies have to incur site fees to use lawful landfill sites, based on the amount and category of waste they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Anger

Preparatory efforts to clean up the Kidlington location began recently due to concerns over the risk of blaze and the effect that would have on the nearby major road.

A private waste clearance company has been awarded the contract to remediate the area over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the government environmental crime division said that the agency would be aiming to recoup the remediation costs under proceeds of crime acts from anyone found guilty at the end of its current case.

She added that this week's arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "pursue more avenues to understand in detail what happened and who was a party to it".

"This unlawful site at this location was an shocking and intentional attack on our ecology and we understand the local frustration at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A senior minister welcomed the detentions, commenting: "This illegal deposit of rubbish at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has led to considerable detriment to the environment and upset to the surrounding population.

"The government is committed to stamping out this category of illegal activity in the UK, by boosting resources to address waste crime, employing more officers and enacting stricter measures and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by personnel from a regional serious crime squad and come after an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was set free awaiting further inquiries.