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Two men have been taken into custody as a component of an investigation into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a property in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in connection with the huge pile of garbage tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior investigation which uncovered the presence of more than 500 illegal tips across England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory agency stated that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering crimes and represented a "crucial step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is thought to house approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is consists of what appears to be treated residential waste, shredded plastic materials, polystyrene, tires and assorted domestic objects.

It constitutes just one example of 517 unlawful sites across the country, at least 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total figure of such bigger dumps is expected to be higher, as the environmental agency has in the past acknowledged it does not hold information on volume for each unauthorized site.

The majority these sites are in rural settings, often out of sight, and on land that should be farm property.

Organized Enterprise

Police state a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are earning cash by asking for significantly less than legitimate operators to accept and dispose of waste.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use lawful disposal sites, contingent on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Outrage

Preparatory efforts to clear the affected location commenced in recent weeks amid fears over the threat of fire and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted clean-up company has been granted the task to deal with the area over the coming 12 months period at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the national environment team stated that the body would be aiming to claim back the remediation expenses under asset recovery legislation from any party successfully prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She added that the recent detentions would help "drive the probe forward" and permit officials to "investigate more leads to understand precisely what transpired and who was involved".

"This unlawful site at the site was an atrocious and calculated affront on our ecology and we share the local outrage at this egregious crime," she stated.

A cabinet representative supported the arrests, stating: "The illegal tipping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has led to significant detriment to the ecology and anguish to the local community.

"Our administration is committed to eradicating this category of crime across the nation, by boosting financing to tackle waste crime, employing more officers and implementing stricter checks and penalties for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by personnel from a specialist organised crime squad and follow an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in November. He was let go pending more investigations.