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Two men have been taken into custody as part of an investigation into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tonnes of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous mound of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a previous revelation which uncovered the existence of over 500 illegal dumps across England, including at least 11 so-called "super sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory authorities said that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and were a "vital step" in active investigations. The apprehended men have been released on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Problem

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

This pile of garbage is made up of what seems to be processed household waste, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and various domestic articles.

It constitutes just a single of 517 illegal tips throughout England, at minimum 11 of which hold more than 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The actual amount of such larger sites is likely to be greater, as the regulatory agency has earlier indicated it does not hold information on tonnage for every illegal tip.

Most these sites are in rural settings, frequently concealed, and on land that is intended to be farm ground.

Organized Enterprise

Police say numerous are run by criminal organizations, who are making profit by asking for much less than licensed operators to receive and landfill garbage.

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

Public Anger

Initial work to clean up the affected site began earlier this month amid concerns over the risk of combustion and the consequences that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted waste clearance contractor has been awarded the job to deal with the location over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environment division said that the body would be aiming to recoup the clearance expenses under confiscation legislation from anyone prosecuted at the end of its active case.

She further stated that the recent detentions would help "push the inquiry forward" and enable officials to "investigate more leads to understand exactly what transpired and who was involved".

"The illegal dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and deliberate attack on our natural surroundings and the authorities share the public's frustration at this terrible offence," she said.

A senior representative praised the actions, commenting: "The unlawful dumping of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in significant detriment to the natural world and anguish to the local residents.

"The administration is committed to eradicating this kind of illegal activity in the nation, by augmenting financing to address illegal dumping, employing more officers and implementing tougher controls and fines for those who violate the rules."

The detentions were made on a recent Thursday by agents from a dedicated organised crime squad and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was let go pending more enquiries.