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Two men have been detained as a component of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials indicated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the huge mound of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests follow a recent revelation which exposed the presence of over 500 illegal dumps throughout England, including at minimum 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the environmental agency said that the arrests were for environment-related and money laundering violations and constituted a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on bail.

Size of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34, is estimated to contain around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is composed of what looks to be treated household refuse, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and various everyday articles.

It represents just a single of 517 unauthorized dumps throughout the country, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The actual number of such bigger sites is probably to be larger, as the environment body has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain data on tonnage for all illegal site.

Most sites are in countryside settings, typically hidden, and on land that is zoned as farm land.

Organized Activity

Authorities report a significant number are operated by organised crime gangs, who are generating money by charging significantly less than legitimate companies to receive and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the quantity and type of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Anger

Preparation efforts to remove the affected dump started in recent weeks amid worries over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been granted the task to deal with the area over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's environmental crime unit stated that the body would be looking to recover the remediation expenses under confiscation acts from any party successfully convicted at the end of its active case.

She added that the recent detentions would help "move the probe forward" and allow officials to "investigate more leads to ascertain in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"This illegal dump at the site was an atrocious and deliberate affront on our ecology and officials empathize with the public's anger at this terrible offence," she remarked.

A government official praised the detentions, stating: "This unlawful deposit of rubbish at this location is utterly appalling and has led to substantial detriment to the natural world and anguish to the local population.

"Our government is dedicated to eliminating this type of crime in the nation, by boosting funds to address illegal dumping, hiring more personnel and enacting more severe controls and fines for those who break the rules."

The detentions were executed on the specified day by officers from a dedicated serious crime squad and come after an prior detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in November. He was released pending more investigations.