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A pair of individuals have been taken into custody as part of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of metric tons of rubbish in a open field in Oxfordshire, England.

Authorities indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a 54-year-old was taken into custody in Slough in association with the enormous pile of waste deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These apprehensions follow a previous revelation which revealed the presence of over 500 unlawful dumps throughout England, featuring at minimum 11 so-called "major sites" larger than 20,000 tonnes.

A spokeswoman for the regulatory authorities stated that the arrests were for environmental and money laundering crimes and were a "vital step" in ongoing probes. The apprehended men have been let go on bail.

Magnitude of the Situation

The illegal site in Kidlington, positioned between the River Cherwell and the A34 highway, is believed to house approximately 21,000 tonnes of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) long and 6m (20ft) tall.

This pile of garbage is made up of what looks to be treated residential waste, chopped up plastic materials, expanded polystyrene, automobile tires and assorted household articles.

It is just one of 517 unlawful tips across England, at minimum 11 of which are estimated to hold more than 20,000 tons of rubbish. These include a 280,000-tonne location in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne sites in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne dump in the county of Kent.

The actual amount of such larger locations is expected to be higher, as the environmental body has earlier acknowledged it does not possess information on weight for each illegal tip.

A large proportion of these sites are in rural settings, typically concealed, and on land that is zoned as arable ground.

Organized Enterprise

Law enforcement say a significant number are managed by criminal organizations, who are generating cash by demanding far less than licensed firms to accept and dispose of rubbish.

Companies have to pay site fees to use legitimate waste facilities, depending on the volume and nature of refuse they are trying to discard, and a waste tax is also applied at just over £126 per ton.

Community Frustration

Initial efforts to remove the Kidlington dump began recently due to concerns over the potential of combustion and the consequences that would have on the adjacent major road.

A commercial waste removal company has been given the task to deal with the site over the following 12 months at a price of £9.6m.

An investigations official for the national regulatory division said that the body would be looking to recoup the clean-up expenses under proceeds of crime acts from anyone ultimately convicted at the end of its current inquiry.

She noted that this week's arrests would help "drive the investigation forward" and enable authorities to "follow more avenues to understand exactly what happened and who was implicated".

"The unlawful dump at this location was an shocking and deliberate attack on our natural surroundings and we understand the public's outrage at this terrible crime," she stated.

A government representative supported the actions, stating: "The unlawful deposit of rubbish at this location is disgraceful and has led to substantial harm to the natural world and anguish to the local community.

"The government is pledged to stamping out this type of crime across the UK, by increasing funds to combat illegal dumping, employing more officers and implementing tougher checks and penalties for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were made on a recent Thursday by officers from a regional organised crime unit and are in addition to an previous arrest of a 39-year-old from the Surrey area in November. He was let go awaiting more enquiries.