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Two men have been arrested as part of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of several thousand of tons of refuse in a open field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in relation with the huge mound of garbage deposited near the area of Kidlington.

These detentions come after a prior report which revealed the existence of more than 500 unlawful tips across England, featuring at a minimum of 11 so-called "large-scale sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities stated that the detentions were for ecological and financial crimes and constituted a "crucial step" in active investigations. The two individuals have been released on pre-trial release.

Scale of the Problem

The dump in the Kidlington area, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is thought to house about 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a pile which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of rubbish is composed of what seems to be treated residential rubbish, shredded plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted everyday items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful dumps in England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes of garbage. They feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall figure of such bigger dumps is likely to be greater, as the environment authority has in the past indicated it does not maintain information on volume for all unauthorized site.

The majority such locations are in rural locations, typically out of sight, and on land that is zoned as arable property.

Criminal Activity

Police say many are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning profit by demanding far less than lawful firms to take and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to incur disposal fees to use licensed landfill sites, depending on the amount and nature of refuse they are trying to discard, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Frustration

Preparatory operations to clean up the affected location began in recent weeks following worries over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the nearby A-road.

A contracted clean-up contractor has been given the contract to deal with the location over the next 12 months period at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the country's environment team commented that the agency would be looking to claim back the clean-up costs under proceeds of crime laws from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the conclusion of its ongoing inquiry.

She further stated that these apprehensions would help "push the probe forward" and allow officials to "investigate more leads to determine in detail what transpired and who was implicated".

"The illegal dump at the site was an atrocious and calculated attack on our environment and the authorities empathize with the public's outrage at this horrific act," she said.

A cabinet official welcomed the detentions, commenting: "The unauthorized dumping of garbage at this location is appalling and has led to significant detriment to the environment and upset to the nearby community.

"Our government is pledged to eradicating this category of criminality in the nation, by augmenting funds to address illegal dumping, employing more personnel and implementing more severe controls and fines for those who break the regulations."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by agents from a dedicated organised crime team and follow an prior arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in last November. He was let go subject to further enquiries.