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Two individuals have been taken into custody as a component of an inquiry into the dumping of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire, England.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in the town of Slough in association with the massive pile of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a recent report which uncovered the existence of over 500 unauthorized sites throughout England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A representative for the environmental authorities said that the apprehensions were for ecological and money laundering crimes and constituted a "vital step" in continuing inquiries. The two individuals have been set free on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to contain approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of garbage is consists of what appears to be sorted domestic refuse, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tires and assorted household articles.

It is just one example of 517 unlawful sites throughout England, at a minimum of 11 of which contain over 20,000 tons of waste. They include a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire county and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The actual amount of such major locations is probably to be higher, as the environmental authority has in the past stated it does not possess records on tonnage for each unauthorized tip.

Most such locations are in countryside areas, frequently concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable land.

Organized Operations

Law enforcement state many are run by organized crime groups, who are generating cash by asking for far less than legitimate operators to accept and landfill garbage.

Businesses have to pay disposal fees to use licensed disposal sites, depending on the volume and category of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per ton.

Community Outrage

Initial operations to clean up the affected dump started in recent weeks following fears over the threat of combustion and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted waste clearance company has been granted the job to handle the location over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance officer for the national environmental crime team stated that the body would be seeking to recover the clean-up funds under confiscation legislation from any party successfully found guilty at the termination of its active inquiry.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "follow more leads to determine in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The illegal tip at the site was an appalling and calculated assault on our environment and officials understand the local outrage at this egregious act," she stated.

A cabinet official supported the actions, commenting: "The illegal deposit of garbage at this location is disgraceful and has caused significant damage to the environment and distress to the nearby residents.

"The authorities is committed to eradicating this category of crime throughout the nation, by boosting funds to address waste crime, employing more staff and enacting stricter measures and fines for those who violate the rules."

The arrests were executed on the specified day by officers from a regional crime team and come after an earlier arrest of a man in his thirties from the Guildford area in November. He was released awaiting more inquiries.