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A pair of individuals have been detained as an element of an investigation into the tipping of several thousand of tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a dwelling in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in connection with the massive heap of waste tipped near Kidlington.

These detentions follow a recent revelation which revealed the presence of more than 500 illegal sites across the country of England, including at least 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A official for the environment body said that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering crimes and represented a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. The apprehended men have been set free on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34, is thought to house about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of waste is made up of what seems to be treated residential refuse, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, tires and various domestic objects.

It is just a single of 517 unauthorized tips in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of garbage. They include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall number of such larger sites is probably to be greater, as the regulatory authority has earlier indicated it does not maintain records on tonnage for all unlawful tip.

Most such locations are in rural locations, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be farm ground.

Organised Activity

Police say numerous are run by organised crime gangs, who are earning profit by asking for much less than lawful companies to receive and dispose of waste.

Businesses have to incur gate fees to use licensed waste facilities, contingent on the volume and type of material they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Anger

Initial efforts to clean up the affected dump started earlier this month amid fears over the threat of blaze and the effect that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been awarded the job to handle the site over the next 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the national environment team commented that the agency would be looking to claim back the clean-up funds under confiscation acts from anyone ultimately convicted at the termination of its current investigation.

She further stated that these arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more lines of inquiry to determine precisely what transpired and who was implicated".

"This illegal dump at this location was an shocking and intentional affront on our environment and officials empathize with the community's anger at this horrific offence," she said.

A government minister welcomed the detentions, commenting: "The illegal tipping of rubbish at this location is appalling and has resulted in substantial harm to the natural world and upset to the surrounding residents.

"Our administration is dedicated to eradicating this kind of criminality throughout the UK, by boosting funds to tackle illegal dumping, employing more officers and implementing stricter measures and sanctions for those who violate the law."

The apprehensions were executed on a recent Thursday by agents from a dedicated crime squad and are in addition to an prior detention of a man in his thirties from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was let go pending further investigations.