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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of metric tons of waste in a open field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials stated that a 69-year-old was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough in relation with the massive mound of waste dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions follow a recent investigation which uncovered the presence of over 500 illegal tips throughout the country of England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental agency commented that the apprehensions were for ecological and proceeds of crime violations and were a "vital step" in ongoing inquiries. The apprehended men have been released on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

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

This mound of waste is made up of what looks to be sorted household refuse, chopped up plastics, polystyrene, tyres and other everyday articles.

It represents just one example of 517 unlawful tips throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of waste. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The total figure of such major locations is expected to be larger, as the environmental agency has earlier indicated it does not hold data on tonnage for all unlawful tip.

Most these sites are in agricultural areas, typically out of sight, and on land that should be arable property.

Criminal Activity

Authorities state many are operated by organised crime gangs, who are generating profit by demanding far less than licensed operators to receive and bury garbage.

Firms have to incur gate fees to use licensed waste facilities, depending on the volume and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Preparation operations to clean up the Kidlington dump commenced earlier this month amid concerns over the threat of blaze and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been awarded the job to remediate the location over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the government regulatory unit commented that the agency would be seeking to recover the clearance expenses under confiscation acts from any party ultimately convicted at the conclusion of its current inquiry.

She further stated that this week's apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to understand precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unlawful site at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated assault on our ecology and the authorities understand the community's frustration at this egregious offence," she stated.

A senior representative welcomed the detentions, adding: "This illegal dumping of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has caused significant damage to the natural world and anguish to the nearby residents.

"Our authorities is dedicated to eradicating this kind of criminality throughout the nation, by increasing resources to address environmental crime, recruiting more officers and enacting more severe checks and penalties for those who violate the law."

The detentions were made on Thursday by personnel from a specialist serious crime unit and follow an earlier apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free pending additional inquiries.