A man from Bristol has been ordered to pay a total of £1,600 after South Gloucestershire Council prosecuted him for illegally transporting scrap metal.
Leonard Loveridge, 56, of Broadlands Drive in Bristol failed to appear at Bristol Magistrates Court on Monday 23 January but was found guilty in his absence of the offence of having no Scrap Metal Dealers Licence. He was fined £660, ordered to pay costs of £676 and a victim surcharge of £264, making a total of £1,600.
The court heard that on 23 August 2022 officers from Avon and Somerset Police stopped a white flatbed van on Larch Road in Staple Hill, South Gloucestershire and spoke to the driver Loveridge.
The rear of the vehicle contained scrap metal and Loveridge told officers that he was a landscape gardener by trade but as work had dried up, he started collecting scrap metal. He stated that he would collect metal before taking it to Avonmouth to cash it in. When questioned he said he knew that he required a licence for different areas of the country however it was established that he did not have a Scrap Metal Dealers Licence for South Gloucestershire nor any Waste Transfer Notes for the metal collected.
Councillor Rachael Hunt, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “This offence was discovered by the police, who then passed it on to the council for prosecution as we are the authority responsible for enforcing waste licences for South Gloucestershire.
“This should serve as a warning to those who flout the law in our area that we will not hesitate to take action when people or businesses are found to be acting illegally.
“Those who run scrap metal or waste collection businesses must make sure they have the correct licences for carrying these types of materials. We encourage the public and businesses to always ask for their waste carrier’s registration number and ask to see their waste transfer note to ensure their waste is being disposed of legally.”
You can carry out these simple steps to make sure your waste is disposed of legally:
- Ask for a copy of the company’s waste carrier registration certificate and ask where the waste is being taken. Legitimate firms will be happy to provide this information
- Do not be tempted to use people offering cheap waste clearance on sites such as Facebook and Gumtree unless you have confirmed that they are registered with the Environment Agency
- Check whether the waste carrier is registered by calling the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 or by checking on their website https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers
Ask for a registered trading address and contact telephone number for the trader and get a receipt.
