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Two men have been detained as part of an inquiry into the illegal deposit of many thousands of tonnes of refuse in a field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a dwelling in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was detained in the town of Slough in association with the massive mound of rubbish dumped near Kidlington.

These arrests follow a prior revelation which uncovered the existence of more than 500 unauthorized sites in England, including at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the environmental authorities stated that the detentions were for environmental and financial violations and were a "key step" in continuing inquiries. Both men have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Issue

The dump in the Kidlington area, located between the Cherwell River and the A34, is estimated to hold about 21,000 tonnes of refuse in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) in height.

This pile of garbage is made up of what seems to be processed domestic refuse, fragmented plastic items, expanded polystyrene, tires and other domestic objects.

It represents just one of 517 unauthorized sites throughout England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold in excess of 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites include a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in the county of Kent.

The total figure of such larger dumps is probably to be higher, as the environmental body has in the past indicated it does not hold data on tonnage for every illegal tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in agricultural locations, often concealed, and on land that should be farm land.

Organised Activity

Authorities say numerous are managed by organized crime groups, who are making profit by asking for far less than legitimate companies to take and dispose of waste.

Firms have to incur site fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the quantity and category of waste they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also charged at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Frustration

Initial operations to clear the Kidlington location began earlier this month following concerns over the risk of blaze and the effect that would have on the close-by A-road.

A private waste clearance company has been awarded the job to handle the area over the next 12 months period at a expense of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the country's environment division said that the body would be looking to claim back the remediation expenses under asset recovery laws from any individual ultimately convicted at the end of its ongoing case.

She added that the recent detentions would help "move the investigation forward" and permit the agency to "investigate more avenues to ascertain exactly what occurred and who was involved".

"This unlawful dump at Kidlington was an shocking and deliberate affront on our ecology and the authorities understand the local outrage at this terrible offence," she said.

A senior representative supported the detentions, stating: "This unlawful tipping of garbage at this location is appalling and has caused significant damage to the environment and upset to the local residents.

"The administration is pledged to eradicating this type of criminality throughout the country, by augmenting funds to address waste crime, hiring more staff and introducing more severe checks and sanctions for those who violate the regulations."

The apprehensions were made on Thursday by agents from a regional organised crime squad and follow an previous apprehension of a man in his thirties from the Surrey region in last November. He was released pending more enquiries.