Woman fined for collecting scrap metal without licence

On December 17 Ann Antoni of Lynden Close, Marlborough pleaded guilty to collecting scrap without a scrap metal licence and for the offence of transporting controlled waste, without the correct waste carriers licence. Mrs Antoni was ordered to pay a total of £1,856.28 in fines, costs and victim surcharge by Salisbury Magistrates.

This follows similar prosecutions by Wiltshire Council in recent months as it clamps down on illegal metal collectors who are not licensed.

Bridget Wayman, cabinet member for highways and transport said, “I would like to remind residents to always check the credentials of those collecting their scrap metal and to be wary of adverts on social media, offering scrap metal collection. These prosecutions send a warning to other illegal scrap collectors - if you collect scrap in our area, without a licence, you face substantial fines. Ignorance of the law is no defence and we will continue to clamp down on illegal traders.”

Anyone collecting scrap metal or dealing in vehicle dismantling needs to be licenced by their local authority. Residents are strongly advised to check the credentials of anyone offering to collect metal or scrap vehicles and be wary of the increasing number of adverts of social media offering scrap collection. Licensed collectors will always have their photo licence displayed in their vehicle.

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 was introduced to tackle rising levels of metal theft, ban the use of cash for all scrap metal payments and enable authorities to clamp down on unscrupulous dealers and collectors.

All licensed scrap metal dealers, which includes sites and collectors, undergo checks by Wiltshire Council, Wiltshire Police and Trading Standards. These checks include a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) examination which ensures that only those who are deemed ‘fit and proper’ are issued a licence to trade as a scrap metal dealer.