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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as part of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tons of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the huge heap of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a recent report which revealed the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized tips throughout England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" bigger than 20,000 metric tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment agency said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in continuing probes. The two individuals have been released on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in Kidlington, located between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is estimated to house around 21,000 tons of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This pile of waste is made up of what looks to be processed residential rubbish, shredded plastic items, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted domestic articles.

It is just a single of 517 unlawful dumps across the country, at minimum 11 of which contain more than 20,000 tons of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne area in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such bigger sites is likely to be higher, as the environment agency has earlier indicated it does not maintain data on volume for each unauthorized site.

A large proportion of sites are in countryside settings, often hidden, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Organised Activity

Police state many are operated by criminal organizations, who are making cash by asking for significantly less than licensed companies to receive and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use licensed disposal sites, based on the quantity and nature of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Outrage

Preparatory efforts to clear the affected site began in recent weeks due to fears over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A private waste removal firm has been given the job to handle the site over the coming 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's environment division said that the body would be looking to recoup the remediation funds under proceeds of crime laws from any individual found guilty at the conclusion of its ongoing case.

She noted that this week's apprehensions would help "drive the investigation forward" and allow authorities to "follow more leads to understand exactly what occurred and who was implicated".

"This illegal site at this location was an atrocious and calculated affront on our ecology and officials understand the community's anger at this egregious offence," she remarked.

A senior official welcomed the actions, stating: "The illegal dumping of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has caused substantial detriment to the natural world and upset to the local population.

"The administration is dedicated to eradicating this kind of illegal activity across the country, by augmenting resources to tackle illegal dumping, employing more personnel and implementing stricter checks and penalties for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by agents from a regional organised crime squad and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in the autumn. He was let go awaiting further enquiries.