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Two individuals have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous pile of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a prior revelation which exposed the presence of over 500 unauthorized sites across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory body stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "vital step" in continuing investigations. Both men have been let go on bail.

Size of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to contain about 21,000 tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is made up of what looks to be treated domestic rubbish, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and assorted domestic articles.

It constitutes just a single of 517 unlawful dumps across England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of rubbish. These encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall number of such larger locations is probably to be greater, as the environment authority has previously acknowledged it does not hold information on tonnage for every illegal dump.

Most these sites are in countryside areas, frequently concealed, and on land that is zoned as farm property.

Organised Activity

Police say numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are making profit by demanding far less than lawful companies to accept and bury garbage.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the amount and type of material they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Preparation operations to clear the Kidlington location began in recent weeks due to concerns over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the close-by major road.

A private waste removal company has been granted the job to remediate the location over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance official for the government environmental crime unit commented that the authority would be looking to recoup the remediation expenses under confiscation acts from any party found guilty at the conclusion of its active inquiry.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "move the probe forward" and permit authorities to "follow more avenues to determine exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"This unauthorized site at this location was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our environment and officials share the public's frustration at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A senior minister praised the detentions, commenting: "This unauthorized dumping of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has led to substantial harm to the natural world and distress to the surrounding population.

"Our government is committed to stamping out this type of criminality throughout the country, by boosting financing to combat illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and enacting stricter controls and fines for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were made on the specified day by officers from a dedicated organised crime unit and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was set free pending additional enquiries.