Man fined for illegally carrying scrap metal

A SWANSEA man has been prosecuted by Carmarthenshire County Council for illegally carrying scrap metal.

Malcolm John Crane, aged 54, of Longview Road, Clase, appeared before Carmarthen Magistrates having surrendered to an Arrest Warrant in relation to local authority offences.

He pleaded guilty to two offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 and entered a guilty plea to a Bail Act offence for failing to attend Court on August 13 without reasonable excuse.

The court heard that council environmental enforcement officers and police stopped a transit-type van in the Penybanc area of Ammanford as part of a multi-agency operation targeting scrap metal dealers.

The van contained a quantity of scrap metal and other items of waste.

The officers asked the driver if he was registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier and if he had the relevant waste transfer notes. He responded by saying that he didn’t know anything about it.

Further inquiries were made and officers established that Crane had been convicted for the same offence in July 2010.

He was fined a total of £320 for the two waste offences and a further £110 for the Bail Act offence. Magistrates also ordered Crane to pay £200 towards prosecution costs and a £15 victim surcharge

The council hopes this case will now act as a warning to others and help prevent the illegal transport of waste which often results in fly-tipping.

Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “All businesses that carry waste, including scrap merchants, skip companies, builders and gardeners, must have a waste carriers licence. They must also make sure they have the correct paperwork for all the waste they carry and only use licensed waste sites to dispose of their rubbish.

“Hopefully this fine will help to get the message across that anyone caught illegally transporting waste will be prosecuted.”

The council is working closely with the police, through the Community Safety Partnership, as part of a joint operation targeting the unauthorised movement of scrap metal and other waste in Carmarthenshire.