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Two men have been arrested as a component of an probe into the dumping of thousands of tons of waste in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Law enforcement reported that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in Hampshire's Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in association with the enormous heap of rubbish deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions come after a prior revelation which exposed the operation of more than 500 unlawful dumps throughout England, featuring at least 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tons.

A spokeswoman for the environment body stated that the detentions were for ecological and financial violations and represented a "key step" in ongoing inquiries. The two individuals have been set free on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in near Kidlington, positioned between the river Cherwell and the A34 road, is believed to contain approximately 21,000 tonnes of waste in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is consists of what looks to be sorted household waste, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, tires and assorted household items.

It represents just one example of 517 illegal dumps in England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of waste. These include a 280,000-tonne location in the county of Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire county and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne site in Kent.

The overall amount of such major dumps is expected to be larger, as the regulatory agency has previously indicated it does not possess data on volume for each illegal dump.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural settings, frequently out of sight, and on land that is zoned as farm ground.

Organised Operations

Authorities state many are run by criminal organizations, who are making money by charging far less than licensed companies to accept and landfill garbage.

Companies have to incur site fees to use legitimate disposal sites, based on the amount and type of waste they are trying to get rid of, and a disposal levy is also levied at just over £126 per ton.

Local Anger

Preparation efforts to clean up the Kidlington area location commenced earlier this month due to worries over the threat of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent A-road.

A private waste clearance firm has been given the job to handle the location over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An enforcement manager for the national environment team stated that the agency would be looking to recover the clean-up costs under asset recovery acts from any individual ultimately prosecuted at the termination of its current inquiry.

She noted that these apprehensions would help "move the inquiry forward" and allow the agency to "investigate more avenues to ascertain in detail what occurred and who was implicated".

"This unlawful dump at Kidlington was an atrocious and calculated affront on our ecology and we share the public's anger at this horrific crime," she said.

A cabinet minister praised the arrests, stating: "The illegal dumping of garbage at the site is utterly appalling and has caused significant harm to the environment and distress to the local population.

"Our administration is dedicated to eliminating this category of crime throughout the UK, by increasing financing to address illegal dumping, hiring more officers and implementing tougher checks and penalties for those who flout the rules."

The apprehensions were carried out on Thursday by officers from a dedicated organised crime team and are in addition to an earlier apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area area in the autumn. He was set free awaiting further inquiries.