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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as an element of an inquiry into the dumping of thousands of tonnes of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the huge pile of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a recent report which revealed the existence of in excess of 500 unlawful dumps across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental body commented that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime violations and constituted a "crucial step" in ongoing probes. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Size of the Situation

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to contain about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of waste is composed of what appears to be processed household waste, shredded plastics, polystyrene, automobile tires and other everyday articles.

It represents just one of 517 illegal dumps throughout England, at least 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger sites is expected to be higher, as the regulatory agency has previously acknowledged it does not maintain records on volume for each unlawful site.

The majority these sites are in countryside settings, typically hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Organised Enterprise

Law enforcement report a significant number are managed by organized crime groups, who are generating profit by asking for significantly less than legitimate companies to accept and bury garbage.

Businesses have to be liable for disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the amount and category of material they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Local Outrage

Preparatory work to clean up the Kidlington dump began in recent weeks due to worries over the risk of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A private clean-up company has been awarded the job to deal with the site over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environment division commented that the body would be seeking to recover the clearance costs under asset recovery legislation from any individual prosecuted at the conclusion of its active investigation.

She noted that these detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more leads to determine precisely what happened and who was implicated".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated affront on our ecology and officials empathize with the local frustration at this horrific crime," she stated.

A government representative welcomed the arrests, adding: "This illegal dumping of rubbish at the site is appalling and has caused substantial detriment to the natural world and distress to the local residents.

"Our authorities is pledged to stamping out this kind of criminality in the UK, by increasing funds to address illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and implementing tougher controls and fines for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were carried out on the specified day by officers from a specialist crime squad and come after an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford region in last November. He was set free subject to further investigations.