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

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was detained at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was arrested in the town of Slough in relation with the massive heap of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior report which uncovered the existence of more than 500 illegal tips throughout England, featuring at least 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A official for the environmental agency said that the apprehensions were for environment-related and money laundering crimes and constituted a "key step" in active probes. The apprehended men have been set free on conditional release.

Magnitude of the Issue

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is estimated to house around 21,000 tons of rubbish in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is made up of what looks to be processed residential rubbish, chopped up plastic materials, Styrofoam, automobile tires and other everyday articles.

It constitutes just one of 517 illegal tips in the country, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The total number of such major sites is likely to be greater, as the environment body has in the past indicated it does not hold information on tonnage for all unlawful tip.

The majority these sites are in countryside areas, frequently concealed, and on land that should be farm property.

Organized Activity

Law enforcement say a significant number are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating profit by asking for significantly less than licensed operators to take and landfill garbage.

Companies have to pay gate fees to use legitimate disposal sites, depending on the amount and nature of material they are trying to discard, and a disposal levy is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Community Frustration

Initial efforts to clean up the affected site commenced recently amid concerns over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the close-by highway.

A private clean-up firm has been granted the contract to deal with the location over the next 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national regulatory division commented that the authority would be looking to recoup the clearance funds under proceeds of crime acts from any party successfully found guilty at the termination of its active inquiry.

She noted that this week's detentions would help "drive the probe forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more lines of inquiry to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"The unlawful tip at Kidlington was an appalling and intentional assault on our environment and we share the public's anger at this horrific act," she remarked.

A cabinet minister praised the detentions, stating: "This illegal deposit of waste at the site is appalling and has caused substantial harm to the ecology and upset to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is committed to eradicating this type of illegal activity in the UK, by augmenting financing to address environmental crime, hiring more personnel and implementing more severe controls and fines for those who violate the regulations."

The detentions were made on Thursday by personnel from a regional serious crime squad and follow an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting further investigations.