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Two men have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of thousands of metric tons of waste in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough in connection with the massive pile of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a previous revelation which exposed the operation of more than 500 unlawful dumps across the country of England, featuring at least 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environment-related and financial violations and were a "key step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is believed to contain approximately 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of waste is made up of what appears to be processed residential rubbish, shredded plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and various household objects.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal dumps in England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The total figure of such bigger dumps is probably to be greater, as the environmental agency has earlier acknowledged it does not possess data on tonnage for every illegal tip.

Most such locations are in agricultural locations, often out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Criminal Enterprise

Authorities report numerous are run by organised crime gangs, who are making money by asking for far less than legitimate firms to take and bury garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Anger

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington area location started earlier this month following worries over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.

A commercial waste removal company has been awarded the job to deal with the area over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's regulatory unit stated that the body would be seeking to recoup the remediation expenses under confiscation legislation from any party successfully prosecuted at the end of its current case.

She added that the recent arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "follow more avenues to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The illegal site at the site was an shocking and intentional affront on our ecology and officials empathize with the community's outrage at this terrible crime," she stated.

A cabinet representative welcomed the detentions, stating: "The illegal dumping of waste at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has caused considerable detriment to the natural world and distress to the local community.

"The administration is committed to eradicating this kind of criminality throughout the UK, by augmenting resources to combat environmental crime, hiring more personnel and enacting more severe measures and fines for those who break the law."

The arrests were carried out on Thursday by agents from a dedicated crime squad and follow an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was released subject to further enquiries.