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Two men have been detained as a component of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tons of rubbish in a field in the county of Oxfordshire.

Authorities reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the enormous pile of rubbish dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These detentions occur a week after a recent investigation which uncovered the existence of in excess of 500 illegal sites in England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the regulatory agency stated that the detentions were for environmental and financial violations and were a "key step" in continuing investigations. Both men have been let go on conditional release.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in the Kidlington area, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to house around 21,000 tons of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of waste is composed of what seems to be processed residential refuse, fragmented plastic materials, Styrofoam, tyres and various domestic objects.

It represents just a single of 517 illegal dumps in England, at least 11 of which hold more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. These feature a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in the county of Kent.

The overall amount of such major locations is expected to be greater, as the environmental body has in the past acknowledged it does not possess information on tonnage for every unauthorized tip.

Most these sites are in countryside settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is intended to be agricultural property.

Organised Enterprise

Authorities report numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning cash by asking for much less than licensed firms to take and bury rubbish.

Companies have to incur disposal fees to use legitimate waste facilities, depending on the volume and category of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also applied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Anger

Preparation efforts to clean up the Kidlington area dump began earlier this month amid fears over the potential of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by major road.

A contracted clean-up firm has been awarded the contract to handle the area over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's environment team stated that the body would be seeking to recoup the remediation costs under asset recovery acts from anyone successfully found guilty at the end of its current inquiry.

She further stated that the recent arrests would help "move the investigation forward" and enable authorities to "follow more avenues to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was a party to it".

"The unlawful site at the site was an appalling and calculated attack on our environment and the authorities share the community's outrage at this terrible act," she said.

A cabinet official welcomed the actions, stating: "This unauthorized tipping of rubbish at Kidlington is disgraceful and has caused considerable harm to the environment and distress to the nearby community.

"The authorities is dedicated to eradicating this type of illegal activity throughout the UK, by boosting financing to combat illegal dumping, recruiting more personnel and implementing tougher controls and sanctions for those who flout the rules."

The detentions were carried out on a recent Thursday by personnel from a specialist serious crime team and come after an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in November. He was set free pending further enquiries.