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Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the illegal deposit of thousands of tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in relation with the enormous heap of rubbish deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a previous report which exposed the operation of more than 500 illegal sites in England, encompassing at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment body said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and money laundering crimes and were a "vital step" in active probes. Both men have been set free on bail.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to contain around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is composed of what seems to be sorted household refuse, chopped up plastics, polystyrene, tires and assorted everyday articles.

It represents just a single of 517 unauthorized sites throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold more than 20,000 metric tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total figure of such larger dumps is likely to be larger, as the environmental authority has in the past indicated it does not possess information on weight for each unlawful dump.

The majority sites are in rural areas, often out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Organized Activity

Authorities state numerous are run by criminal organizations, who are generating money by demanding far less than legitimate firms to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use lawful disposal sites, depending on the volume and nature of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Anger

Initial operations to remove the Kidlington area location started recently due to concerns over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the adjacent highway.

A private clean-up company has been granted the contract to remediate the area over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's environmental crime division stated that the body would be aiming to recoup the remediation costs under proceeds of crime legislation from anyone convicted at the end of its current case.

She further stated that these arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "investigate more avenues to understand precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"This illegal dump at the site was an shocking and deliberate attack on our environment and we understand the local frustration at this horrific offence," she remarked.

A cabinet representative welcomed the arrests, stating: "The unauthorized tipping of rubbish at the site is appalling and has caused substantial harm to the environment and distress to the local residents.

"Our administration is committed to stamping out this category of illegal activity across the country, by boosting financing to combat waste crime, employing more personnel and implementing tougher measures and sanctions for those who break the regulations."

The arrests were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a dedicated crime squad and follow an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was let go pending additional inquiries.