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Two men have been taken into custody as a component of an probe into the tipping of thousands of metric tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive pile of garbage dumped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a prior investigation which revealed the existence of more than 500 unlawful tips throughout England, featuring at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A representative for the regulatory body said that the arrests were for environment-related and proceeds of crime crimes and constituted a "key step" in continuing probes. The apprehended men have been set free on pre-trial release.

Size of the Problem

The tipping ground in Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is thought to contain about 21,000 tonnes of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of waste is composed of what looks to be sorted domestic waste, shredded plastics, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and other domestic articles.

It is just one example of 517 illegal sites across England, at a minimum of 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of waste. These feature a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne dump in Kent.

The overall number of such bigger dumps is probably to be larger, as the regulatory body has in the past stated it does not hold data on volume for every illegal tip.

Most such locations are in rural areas, typically out of sight, and on land that should be arable property.

Criminal Operations

Law enforcement report many are managed by criminal organizations, who are making cash by charging far less than legitimate companies to take and dispose of waste.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, contingent on the amount and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also charged at just over £126 per metric ton.

Local Outrage

Preparatory operations to clean up the affected dump started earlier this month amid fears over the risk of fire and the impact that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A commercial waste removal firm has been awarded the contract to handle the area over the next 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement officer for the country's environment team commented that the agency would be aiming to recoup the remediation costs under proceeds of crime legislation from any party ultimately prosecuted at the end of its ongoing case.

She further stated that this week's arrests would help "drive the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "follow more avenues to ascertain precisely what occurred and who was implicated".

"The unlawful dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and the authorities understand the local anger at this egregious crime," she stated.

A cabinet official supported the arrests, adding: "The unlawful deposit of garbage at this location is utterly appalling and has caused significant harm to the ecology and anguish to the local community.

"Our authorities is dedicated to eradicating this type of crime in the nation, by boosting financing to tackle illegal dumping, recruiting more staff and introducing tougher checks and sanctions for those who flout the law."

The arrests were made on the specified day by officers from a specialist serious crime squad and are in addition to an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Surrey region in the autumn. He was released awaiting further investigations.