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Two men have been taken into custody as part of an investigation into the tipping of several thousand of tons of rubbish in a open 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 Slough in association with the enormous heap of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a prior report which revealed the operation of over 500 illegal tips in the country of England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental authorities stated that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering crimes and represented a "crucial step" in active probes. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, positioned between the Cherwell River and the A34, is believed to hold around 21,000 tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of garbage is made up of what looks to be processed domestic rubbish, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and other household items.

It is just one of 517 unlawful dumps across the country, at least 11 of which contain over 20,000 metric tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual figure of such larger sites is expected to be larger, as the regulatory authority has in the past acknowledged it does not hold data on volume for each unauthorized site.

The majority these sites are in countryside settings, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as agricultural property.

Organized Operations

Police say many are operated by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by charging far less than legitimate operators to accept and dispose of garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for disposal fees to use licensed waste facilities, based on the quantity and type of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Preparation operations to clear the affected location commenced recently following concerns over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A commercial clean-up firm has been granted the job to deal with the area over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the national environment unit stated that the authority would be aiming to recover the clean-up expenses under asset recovery legislation from any individual convicted at the end of its current case.

She added that this week's arrests would help "move the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more leads to determine precisely what happened and who was involved".

"This illegal site at Kidlington was an atrocious and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the community's frustration at this horrific crime," she remarked.

A government representative welcomed the actions, adding: "This unlawful tipping of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has led to substantial damage to the environment and distress to the surrounding community.

"The government is dedicated to eliminating this type of criminality throughout the UK, by increasing funds to combat environmental crime, employing more officers and introducing tougher controls and fines for those who break the regulations."

The detentions were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional crime squad and are in addition to an earlier arrest of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free subject to additional investigations.