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Two men have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in the town of Slough in association with the massive mound of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These apprehensions come after a prior revelation which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps throughout England, including at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory agency said that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering violations and constituted a "crucial step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been set free on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain around 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is consists of what looks to be sorted household waste, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and various everyday items.

It is just one of 517 unauthorized dumps throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such major dumps is likely to be larger, as the environmental agency has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain information on volume for every unauthorized dump.

Most these sites are in rural locations, typically concealed, and on land that should be agricultural ground.

Criminal Enterprise

Police state many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by asking for significantly less than licensed companies to take and landfill rubbish.

Companies have to be liable for site fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the amount and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Anger

Preparation efforts to remove the affected dump began in recent weeks following worries over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A private waste removal contractor has been awarded the job to deal with the site over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the national environmental crime team commented that the authority would be aiming to claim back the clearance expenses under proceeds of crime laws from any party ultimately convicted at the end of its ongoing case.

She added that this week's arrests would help "push the probe forward" and permit authorities to "follow more lines of inquiry to understand exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unauthorized site at this location was an atrocious and intentional attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the community's frustration at this egregious crime," she remarked.

A government official praised the arrests, adding: "The illegal dumping of waste at this location is appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the environment and anguish to the surrounding community.

"The administration is committed to eradicating this type of criminality throughout the country, by augmenting funds to tackle environmental crime, recruiting more officers and enacting more severe measures and sanctions for those who break the rules."

The detentions were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a dedicated crime squad and come after an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was set free pending further inquiries.