Unlicensed scrap metal carrier fined in Wiltshire under new law

EDGWARE (Scrap Monster): A scrap metal carrier has been convicted in Wiltshire for collecting scrap without possession of license under the newly imposed Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013.

Joseph Stewart McPhee of of Sibbald Brae in Bathgate, Scotland was fined £1,500, ordered to pay £200 costs and a victim surcharge of £120. The incident took place in February this year. A member of public noticed McPhee collecting scrap materials from a site in Yewstock Crescent area of Chippenham. The Police stopped the vehicle and found that McPhee failed to have a dealer or collector license as proposed by the law. Police recovered pile of materials from the truck including washing machines and gearboxes.

Later, he failed to appear at North West Magistrates' Court, Chippenham, on July 7 and was convicted for failing to register himself as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency or as a scrap collector in Wiltshire.

Under the new Scrap Metal Dealers’ Act 2013, the scrap metal dealers across England and Wales are now required to compulsorily possess trade license from their local authority. The new regulation aims to clamp down on illegal scrap dealers. It proposes to rein in on scrap metal thefts and establish standards across the industry.