Man fined for illegally carrying scrap metal

A LLANELLI man has been fined £360 and ordered to pay £150 court costs for illegally carrying scrap metal.

Cornelius Price, aged 51, of Pen-y-Bryn Caravan Park, was convicted in absence for an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 at Ammanford Magistrates Court.

The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that on Wednesday, October 6 last year police stopped a Ford Transit type vehicle carrying scrap metal along Trevaughan Road in Carmarthen. The driver’s details were taken and passed on to the council’s environmental enforcement section.

Checks were carried out with the Environment Agency and it was established Price was not registered as a waste carrier. Various letters were sent asking him to attend for interview but he failed to make any contact. As a result, he was prosecuted through the magistrates court.

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

Director of Technical Services Richard Workman 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 through the courts where the maximum penalty is £5,000.”

For further information on how to register as a waste carrier contact the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 or visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk