Man fined for waste offence

 

The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that Hopson was stopped by police and the council’s environmental enforcement officers in a Blue Ford Transit in Cross Hands as part of a joint operation targeting scrap metal dealers in Carmarthenshire.

The vehicle was carrying a substantial amount of scrap metal including three wheel barrows, vehicle body parts, computers, fencing and heating boilers.

The officers asked Hopson if he was registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier. He said he was and provided his waste carriers licence. He was then asked if he had any waste transfer notes for the waste he was carrying as required by law. The only entry in his book was dated as far back as 2002. Hopson could not explain why it was dated so far back

When asked where the waste came from; he originally said it was his, but later admitted that the waste was collected and stored on his land until he had enough to fill a vehicle, then it was taken to the scrap yard for sale.

Hopson had been convicted of a fly-tipping offence back in May 2007.

He was fined £200 by magistrates and ordered to pay full prosecution costs of £203.72.

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.

Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Philip Hughes 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.

“We are working closely with the police, through the Community Safety Partnership, as part of a joint operation targeting scrap metal dealers in Carmarthenshire. Hopefully this fine will help to get the message across that anyone caught illegally transporting waste will be prosecuted through the courts.”

Police say the global increase in price and demand of metal in recent months has led to a rise in metal thefts.

Operation Beagle has been launched as a multi-agency approach to target illegal waste carriers and scrap metal collectors and to reduce the opportunity for thieves to sell on or dispose of stolen metal items.

Inspector Tony Ward, for strategic support, said: “As a partnership, we are taking positive steps to reduce the impact of metal theft offences upon our community.

“We ask the public to be extra vigilant and to report suspicious activity to the police including registration numbers and descriptions of individuals involved.”

If an incident is ongoing, please phone 999, otherwise call the police non emergency number 101. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers Wales / Cymru to report a crime anonymously on 0800 555 111.