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Two individuals have been detained as an element of an probe into the illegal deposit of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was arrested in the town of Slough in connection with the enormous pile of garbage tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests come after a previous report which revealed the operation of more than 500 illegal tips in England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environment authorities commented that the detentions were for environmental and proceeds of crime crimes and represented a "crucial step" in continuing inquiries. Both men have been set free on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The dump in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house approximately 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is composed of what looks to be sorted residential waste, shredded plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and assorted household objects.

It constitutes just one example of 517 illegal dumps in the country, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total amount of such major sites is probably to be larger, as the environmental body has earlier acknowledged it does not possess records on volume for every illegal dump.

Most such locations are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is zoned as agricultural ground.

Organized Operations

Police state a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are generating money by asking for much less than licensed operators to take and landfill waste.

Firms have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate landfill sites, depending on the amount and nature of refuse they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Outrage

Preparation work to remove the affected dump commenced in recent weeks following worries over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial waste clearance firm has been granted the contract to deal with the area over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations officer for the country's environmental crime unit said that the agency would be looking to claim back the clearance costs under confiscation laws from anyone found guilty at the end of its current inquiry.

She noted that these arrests would help "move the investigation forward" and allow the agency to "follow more avenues to determine precisely what happened and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful dump at Kidlington was an shocking and deliberate assault on our ecology and we empathize with the local anger at this egregious crime," she said.

A cabinet official praised the detentions, commenting: "This unauthorized deposit of garbage at the site is appalling and has resulted in considerable damage to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding community.

"Our administration is pledged to stamping out this category of illegal activity in the UK, by increasing funds to tackle illegal dumping, employing more personnel and enacting more severe checks and penalties for those who flout the regulations."

The detentions were carried out on Thursday by agents from a specialist serious crime team and are in addition to an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was released pending more enquiries.