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Two men have been detained as an element of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in the town of Slough in relation with the enormous heap of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a recent revelation which uncovered the existence of over 500 unlawful sites in England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment authorities commented that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime offences and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. Both men have been set free on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is believed to hold approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is made up of what appears to be processed domestic refuse, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tires and other domestic items.

It is just one example of 517 unauthorized sites throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual figure of such major dumps is likely to be larger, as the environmental authority has previously indicated it does not hold information on weight for all unauthorized dump.

The majority such locations are in countryside areas, frequently concealed, and on land that should be agricultural ground.

Criminal Activity

Police report a significant number are run by organised crime gangs, who are making money by asking for much less than lawful companies to receive and landfill waste.

Businesses have to incur site fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the amount and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Outrage

Preparation operations to clear the Kidlington area location began recently following concerns over the potential of fire and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial waste clearance contractor has been awarded the contract to handle the location over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the country's regulatory unit stated that the authority would be aiming to recover the clean-up costs under confiscation legislation from any party successfully convicted at the conclusion of its current case.

She further stated that these apprehensions would help "move the probe forward" and allow the agency to "investigate more leads to understand exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"The illegal dump at the site was an appalling and deliberate attack on our natural surroundings and we share the local frustration at this terrible offence," she stated.

A cabinet minister praised the arrests, adding: "This illegal dumping of rubbish at this location is disgraceful and has caused significant damage to the ecology and upset to the local population.

"The government is committed to eradicating this type of crime across the UK, by augmenting resources to address environmental crime, recruiting more officers and enacting more severe checks and sanctions for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by agents from a dedicated serious crime team and follow an prior apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was set free pending additional inquiries.