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Two men have been arrested as a component of an investigation into the tipping of several thousand of tonnes of rubbish in a field in Oxfordshire.

Law enforcement stated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in the town of Slough in association with the huge mound of waste deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These arrests occur a week after a previous report which revealed the presence of over 500 unauthorized tips throughout England, including at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities stated that the detentions were for environmental and money laundering crimes and represented a "key step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been let go on conditional release.

Scale of the Situation

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This mound of rubbish is made up of what seems to be treated domestic refuse, fragmented plastics, polystyrene, tires and other household items.

It is just a single of 517 illegal dumps in England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of waste. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger dumps is probably to be higher, as the regulatory authority has earlier stated it does not hold records on tonnage for all unauthorized tip.

The majority sites are in rural settings, typically concealed, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Criminal Activity

Authorities say many are managed by organized crime groups, who are making profit by demanding much less than legitimate operators to receive and landfill waste.

Firms have to be liable for gate fees to use lawful waste facilities, contingent on the amount and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Frustration

Preparation operations to remove the Kidlington area dump commenced earlier this month due to fears over the risk of fire and the consequences that would have on the nearby highway.

A commercial waste removal contractor has been given the job to handle the location over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the government environment division said that the body would be looking to recover the remediation expenses under confiscation laws from anyone convicted at the end of its active inquiry.

She noted that these arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow authorities to "follow more leads to determine in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"This illegal dump at this location was an appalling and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and officials share the local anger at this terrible act," she remarked.

A cabinet representative praised the detentions, adding: "This unlawful dumping of rubbish at the site is appalling and has led to considerable harm to the natural world and anguish to the local residents.

"Our government is dedicated to eliminating this kind of criminality throughout the UK, by boosting funds to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and implementing tougher checks and penalties for those who break the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by officers from a dedicated serious crime squad and follow an earlier detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in last November. He was set free pending more enquiries.