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Two men have been taken into custody as part of an inquiry into the tipping of many thousands of metric tons of refuse in a rural field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in the town of Slough in association with the huge pile of waste tipped near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions occur a week after a prior investigation which revealed the operation of over 500 unauthorized dumps across England, including at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the regulatory body said that the apprehensions were for environmental and financial violations and represented a "vital step" in continuing investigations. The two individuals have been set free on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to hold around 21,000 metric tons of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what looks to be sorted residential rubbish, fragmented plastics, polystyrene, tyres and other everyday objects.

It is just one example of 517 unauthorized sites in the country, at least 11 of which contain more than 20,000 metric tons of rubbish. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall number of such larger locations is likely to be greater, as the environment agency has in the past acknowledged it does not hold data on weight for every unauthorized tip.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural areas, often hidden, and on land that should be agricultural property.

Criminal Activity

Authorities state numerous are operated by organised crime gangs, who are generating cash by asking for significantly less than licensed firms to accept and bury rubbish.

Businesses have to be liable for site fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the volume and type of material they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Frustration

Preparation work to remove the Kidlington area site began recently following concerns over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the close-by highway.

A contracted waste removal firm has been awarded the contract to remediate the site over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's environmental crime unit said that the authority would be seeking to claim back the remediation expenses under proceeds of crime acts from any party found guilty at the end of its ongoing investigation.

She added that the recent detentions would help "move the probe forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more leads to ascertain exactly what happened and who was a party to it".

"This unauthorized tip at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated assault on our environment and we understand the local frustration at this horrific act," she said.

A cabinet minister welcomed the detentions, adding: "The unlawful deposit of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has led to substantial harm to the natural world and upset to the nearby population.

"Our administration is dedicated to stamping out this type of illegal activity in the nation, by augmenting resources to tackle waste crime, recruiting more personnel and implementing tougher measures and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were carried out on the specified day by personnel from a regional serious crime squad and come after an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in November. He was set free awaiting further inquiries.