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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as part of an inquiry into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in association with the enormous heap of rubbish deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions occur a week after a recent revelation which revealed the presence of over 500 unlawful tips across England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environment authorities commented that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering violations and were a "vital step" in active inquiries. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Scale of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to contain about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of garbage is made up of what looks to be treated residential waste, shredded plastic materials, polystyrene, tyres and assorted everyday articles.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful tips across England, at least 11 of which contain in excess of 20,000 metric tons of waste. They feature a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total amount of such major sites is expected to be higher, as the environment agency has previously indicated it does not possess data on weight for every unauthorized dump.

A large proportion of such locations are in countryside locations, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be arable property.

Organised Enterprise

Police say a significant number are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by asking for much less than licensed operators to receive and bury rubbish.

Firms have to be liable for site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, based on the quantity and nature of refuse they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Preparatory efforts to clean up the Kidlington site started recently amid worries over the potential of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A private clean-up contractor has been granted the task to handle the location over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the national environmental crime division stated that the body would be looking to claim back the remediation funds under confiscation legislation from any party ultimately found guilty at the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.

She added that the recent apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "pursue more leads to understand exactly what transpired and who was involved".

"The unauthorized site at this location was an shocking and intentional assault on our ecology and we share the community's anger at this terrible crime," she remarked.

A government official welcomed the actions, stating: "This illegal tipping of garbage at this location is appalling and has resulted in considerable harm to the natural world and distress to the nearby residents.

"Our administration is dedicated to eliminating this kind of illegal activity throughout the UK, by augmenting resources to combat waste crime, recruiting more officers and implementing tougher controls and penalties for those who flout the regulations."

The apprehensions were executed on a recent Thursday by officers from a dedicated serious crime unit and follow an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was released pending additional inquiries.