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Two individuals have been detained as part of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of waste in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a property in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous mound of rubbish dumped near the area of Kidlington.

These apprehensions follow a previous revelation which uncovered the presence of over 500 unauthorized dumps throughout England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities commented that the detentions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime offences and were a "crucial step" in ongoing inquiries. The two individuals have been let go on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of waste is consists of what looks to be processed household refuse, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, tires and assorted everyday articles.

It is just one of 517 unauthorized dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which hold over 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual number of such larger locations is probably to be greater, as the environment body has in the past indicated it does not hold information on tonnage for each unauthorized dump.

Most such locations are in countryside settings, often hidden, and on land that should be farm land.

Organized Enterprise

Authorities say numerous are managed by organised crime gangs, who are earning money by demanding far less than lawful firms to take and bury rubbish.

Companies have to incur gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the volume and nature of material they are trying to dispose of, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Frustration

Preparatory work to clean up the Kidlington location began earlier this month due to concerns over the potential of blaze and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A private clean-up company has been given the contract to handle the area over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the country's environment unit stated that the body would be aiming to claim back the clearance funds under asset recovery legislation from anyone successfully prosecuted at the termination of its ongoing case.

She noted that the recent arrests would help "move the probe forward" and enable officials to "follow more avenues to determine precisely what occurred and who was a party to it".

"This illegal dump at this location was an shocking and calculated attack on our ecology and the authorities empathize with the community's outrage at this horrific crime," she said.

A cabinet representative praised the actions, stating: "This unauthorized dumping of waste at the site is utterly appalling and has led to significant detriment to the environment and anguish to the local residents.

"Our government is pledged to eradicating this kind of criminality in the country, by boosting financing to tackle illegal dumping, employing more personnel and enacting stricter checks and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime unit and come after an previous detention of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was set free awaiting more investigations.