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Two men have been taken into custody as part of an probe into the dumping of thousands of metric tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Authorities stated that a 69-year-old was detained at a property in Andover, Hampshire, while a man in his fifties was arrested in Slough, Berkshire in connection with the enormous heap of waste tipped near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions occur a week after a prior revelation which uncovered the presence of in excess of 500 illegal dumps across the country of England, encompassing at a minimum of 11 so-called "super sites" bigger than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environmental body stated that the detentions were for ecological and money laundering violations and were a "vital step" in continuing probes. Both men have been let go on pre-trial release.

Magnitude of the Situation

The tipping ground in near Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to house around 21,000 tonnes of rubbish in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) high.

This mound of rubbish is consists of what looks to be sorted residential refuse, chopped up plastics, Styrofoam, tyres and other domestic items.

It represents just one of 517 illegal sites across the country, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tonnes of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne site in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such bigger sites is probably to be larger, as the environmental authority has earlier indicated it does not hold records on tonnage for each unlawful site.

The majority these sites are in countryside areas, often hidden, and on land that should be farm land.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement say a significant number are run by organized crime groups, who are making money by charging much less than licensed operators to receive and landfill waste.

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

Community Anger

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington site began earlier this month following concerns over the risk of blaze and the impact that would have on the adjacent major road.

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

An investigations official for the government environment division commented that the agency would be seeking to claim back the clean-up costs under proceeds of crime legislation from any party successfully prosecuted at the end of its current case.

She further stated that the recent apprehensions would help "push the investigation forward" and enable the agency to "follow more avenues to ascertain exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"The illegal site at the site was an shocking and deliberate attack on our natural surroundings and officials understand the local outrage at this terrible act," she said.

A cabinet representative praised the arrests, stating: "This illegal dumping of rubbish at the site is utterly appalling and has resulted in considerable detriment to the ecology and upset to the nearby community.

"Our government is pledged to eradicating this category of illegal activity across the country, by increasing resources to address illegal dumping, employing more staff and enacting stricter checks and sanctions for those who violate the rules."

The apprehensions were executed on Thursday by agents from a dedicated crime team and are in addition to an previous apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in the autumn. He was let go pending further inquiries.