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Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was arrested in Slough in connection with the enormous mound of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a recent report which uncovered the operation of over 500 unlawful tips in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

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

Size of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to hold around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is consists of what seems to be processed domestic waste, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and various domestic objects.

It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized sites in England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of garbage. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger locations is expected to be higher, as the environment body has previously acknowledged it does not maintain information on tonnage for each unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of sites are in countryside settings, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Criminal Operations

Law enforcement say many are operated by organized crime groups, who are making profit by asking for far less than licensed operators to take and landfill garbage.

Companies have to pay site fees to use lawful waste facilities, depending on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Community Anger

Preparatory efforts to clear the Kidlington dump commenced in recent weeks following worries over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent highway.

A commercial clean-up company has been awarded the job to remediate the site over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's regulatory unit commented that the body would be aiming to recover the remediation costs under asset recovery laws from any individual successfully found guilty at the termination of its current investigation.

She further stated that the recent arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "investigate more avenues to understand in detail what happened and who was involved".

"The unlawful dump at the site was an appalling and intentional attack on our environment and officials empathize with the public's outrage at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A senior official praised the arrests, adding: "The unauthorized tipping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has led to significant harm to the environment and upset to the local community.

"The administration is committed to eradicating this kind of illegal activity in the UK, by augmenting financing to tackle waste crime, employing more personnel and enacting tougher controls and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated crime unit and come after an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in last November. He was released awaiting more enquiries.