Man sentenced for running an unlicensed scrap business

An investigation carried out by City of York Council has uncovered and successfully prosecuted a serious case of the illegal trade of scrap metal.

Appearing on Friday 18 October 2019 at York Magistrates, Craig Miles (of Roche Avenue, York) was ordered to pay £1,230, for collecting, transporting and selling scrap metal without holding the necessary licenses.

Mr Miles was stopped by North Yorkshire Police in December 2018, after being spotted by police a number of times during November and December 2018.

He was found to be carrying scrap metal and his vehicle was seized due to lack of business insurance.

Mr Miles was also charged for not keeping the required records for both selling and collecting scrap metal, as well as failing to provide City of York Council with the correct paperwork.

Mr Miles was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of £600, costs of £600 and a court surcharge of £30. He was also disqualified from driving for six months. 

Cllr Denise Craghill, Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods at City of York Council, said: “The majority of licenced scrap metal carriers in York act within the law, however, there is a penalty of up to £5,000 for those who fail to obtain a scrap metal licence and fail to keep accurate records of the metal they receive and dispose of.

“We hope the sentences send a strong message that the collection, storage or sale of commercial and domestic scrap metal must be correctly licensed, and that the council will continue to investigate and prosecute businesses that operate illegally.”

The council urges York residents to ensure any waste of scrap metal they request removal of that the collector has the appropriated licences to take their waste away.

Residents have a duty of care to ensure their waste is disposed of correctly. To obtain or renew a scrap metal licence, visit: https://www.york.gov.uk/info/20169/business_licences/1023/scrap_metal_dealer_licence or contact Licensing services at licensing@york.gov.uk

100 hours community service for theft and unlicensed scrap dealing

As part of the council’s drive to prevent fly-tipping by ensuring waste carriers are licensed, on Tuesday (21 November) a scrap metal dealer was prosecuted for stealing two items from a house and for being unlicensed.

In May 2017, a council officer witnessed Christopher Smith, aged 48 of James Street, York, enter a garden, take a vacuum cleaner and a steam cleaner and put them into the back of the van he was driving. When challenged, he claimed it was his aunt’s home and became abusive. On checking it was found that his aunt did not live there.

In July 2017, Mr Smith was stopped by neighbourhood enforcement officers as he was using a vehicle loaded with scrap metal. The van had no scrap metal dealers licence on display and Mr Smith refused to answer questions at the time. Further investigation found that his licence with City of York Council had expired in March 2017 and he had failed to respond to reminders from the council’s licensing team.

Mr Smith failed to attend interview or respond to questions under caution about the offence of carrying waste without a scrap metal dealers licence or a waste carrier licence, both of which are legal requirements.

At York Magistrates Court on Tuesday 21 November 2017, Mr Smith pleaded guilty to one offence of theft, one offences of transporting controlled waste without a waste carrier licence, operating as an unlicensed scrap metal dealer, failing to provide information about business waste being carried and disposed of.

Mitigation offered to the court included a claim that the theft was opportunistic. Further mitigation offered was that at the time, Mr Smith was showing the ropes of the family business to his son to whom he was handing it over, and that it would be his son who would apply for a dealers licence in the future. Mr Smith claimed too that he was illiterate so could not keep records or read enforcement letters. He is now working for a delivery company.

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New Licensing rules for scrap metal dealers come into force in York

York Liberal Democrats have welcomed a new law giving councils greater powers to combat the blight of scrap metal thefts on communities across the country.

Every scrap metal dealer is having to obtain a licence to trade from their local authority under the new Scrap Metal Dealers Act with councils now able to refuse or revoke licences. The Act also makes it illegal for anyone to buy or sell scrap metal with cash and gives councils new powers of entry and inspection and the ability to shut down rogue dealers.

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