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Two individuals have been taken into custody as part of an probe into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in association with the massive pile of garbage dumped near Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a recent investigation which uncovered the presence of over 500 unlawful sites throughout England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environment authorities stated that the detentions were for environment-related and financial offences and constituted a "vital step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Scale of the Problem

The tipping ground in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to hold about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This mound of garbage is consists of what seems to be sorted household refuse, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, automobile tires and various household articles.

It represents just one example of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. These include a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total number of such major locations is probably to be higher, as the environmental agency has earlier acknowledged it does not maintain information on tonnage for all unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside locations, typically hidden, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Organized Activity

Police report many are run by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by demanding significantly less than lawful firms to accept and landfill garbage.

Firms have to pay site fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Public Frustration

Preparation work to clean up the affected dump commenced earlier this month following concerns over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial waste removal firm has been awarded the task to remediate the area over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement official for the national environmental crime unit said that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clean-up expenses under confiscation legislation from any party convicted at the termination of its ongoing investigation.

She noted that these arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable the agency to "investigate more avenues to ascertain exactly what happened and who was involved".

"This unlawful site at the site was an appalling and deliberate affront on our ecology and the authorities share the community's frustration at this terrible act," she stated.

A senior representative supported the actions, stating: "This unauthorized tipping of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has led to significant damage to the ecology and distress to the local community.

"The administration is committed to eliminating this kind of crime across the country, by increasing funds to address environmental crime, employing more staff and enacting stricter controls and fines for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by personnel from a dedicated crime team and are in addition to an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was set free pending further investigations.