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A pair of individuals have been detained as part of an inquiry into the tipping of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in association with the massive mound of garbage tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a previous revelation which uncovered the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps in England, including at least 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental authorities commented that the detentions were for environmental and financial crimes and represented a "key step" in active inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to contain around 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is made up of what looks to be treated domestic refuse, fragmented plastics, expanded polystyrene, tyres and other everyday objects.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized tips throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of garbage. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall figure of such bigger dumps is expected to be greater, as the regulatory agency has earlier acknowledged it does not possess records on tonnage for each unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in countryside areas, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Organized Operations

Authorities state many are run by criminal organizations, who are earning money by asking for far less than lawful operators to accept and dispose of garbage.

Companies have to be liable for site fees to use lawful disposal sites, based on the amount and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Initial work to clean up the Kidlington area location began earlier this month amid worries over the threat of blaze and the consequences that would have on the nearby major road.

A private waste clearance firm has been granted the job to remediate the location over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the government environment division commented that the authority would be looking to claim back the clean-up costs under proceeds of crime acts from anyone successfully convicted at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She further stated that these arrests would help "push the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "pursue more lines of inquiry to determine exactly what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This illegal tip at Kidlington was an atrocious and intentional affront on our environment and officials understand the public's anger at this horrific offence," she stated.

A cabinet minister praised the actions, commenting: "The unlawful tipping of waste at Kidlington is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial detriment to the natural world and upset to the surrounding community.

"The authorities is dedicated to eradicating this type of illegal activity across the nation, by increasing funds to address illegal dumping, recruiting more officers and introducing more severe controls and penalties for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were made on the specified day by officers from a specialist organised crime squad and follow an prior detention of a man in his thirties from the Surrey area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting additional investigations.