Llanelli man fined for illegally carrying scrap metal

A Llanelli man has been fined £345 and ordered to pay £156 court costs for illegally carrying scrap metal.

Stacey Williams Janes, aged 26, of Brynawelon, pleaded guilty at Carmarthen Magistrates Court to offences contrary to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 and the Environmental Protection Act 1995.

The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that Janes was stopped by police in a Ford Transit lorry near junction 48 on the M4 on Friday, July 29 as part of a multi-agency operation targeting scrap metal dealers in Carmarthenshire. The vehicle was carrying a number of items of scrap metals.

Enquiries made by the council’s environmental enforcement officers with Environment Agency Wales revealed that Janes was not a registered waste carrier.

The court also heard that Janes had been stopped by police just two weeks prior to this incident, again carrying various scrap metal. On this occasion he failed to produce waste transfer notes for the waste he was carrying.

The environmental enforcement section wrote to Janes asking him to produce his waste transfer notes; however, no communication was received back. Again enquiries with Environment Agency Wales revealed Janes was not a registered waste carrier.

The County 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.

Chair of the Environment Scrutiny Committee 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.

“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.”