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Two men have been detained as part of an investigation into the tipping of many thousands of tons of refuse in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a man in his late sixties was apprehended at a property in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in Slough, Berkshire in association with the massive mound of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.

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

A representative for the regulatory agency said that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering offences and constituted a "key step" in active inquiries. Both men have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Issue

The tipping ground in the Kidlington area, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 highway, is thought to house approximately 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) high.

This heap of waste is made up of what appears to be treated residential rubbish, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, tyres and other household items.

It is just one of 517 illegal tips throughout England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 metric tons of waste. These include a 280,000-tonne site in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The total figure of such larger dumps is expected to be higher, as the regulatory agency has in the past stated it does not hold data on weight for each unlawful dump.

A large proportion of sites are in rural settings, often out of sight, and on land that is intended to be farm property.

Organized Enterprise

Police report a significant number are managed by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by asking for far less than licensed companies to receive and landfill waste.

Companies have to pay site fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the volume and category of material they are trying to dispose of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Local Outrage

Initial work to remove the affected site started recently due to worries over the risk of combustion and the consequences that would have on the nearby A-road.

A private clean-up company has been granted the contract to remediate the site over the coming 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the national environmental crime unit commented that the authority would be seeking to recoup the clearance funds under confiscation legislation from anyone successfully found guilty at the end of its ongoing inquiry.

She noted that these detentions would help "drive the investigation forward" and permit authorities to "investigate more avenues to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was involved".

"The illegal tip at the site was an shocking and intentional affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities empathize with the local anger at this terrible crime," she said.

A senior representative praised the detentions, stating: "The unauthorized deposit of rubbish at the site is appalling and has led to considerable damage to the ecology and anguish to the nearby population.

"The government is committed to eradicating this category of criminality across the country, by increasing resources to combat environmental crime, recruiting more officers and enacting more severe measures and penalties for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by officers from a dedicated crime team and are in addition to an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area region in November. He was let go subject to more investigations.