Andrew Mitchell, aged 46 from Highfield, Ferndale has been ordered to pay a total of £265 in fines and costs after he was caught transporting scrap metal without a license. The prosecution was taken by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Streetcare Enforcement and Awareness team.
Mr Mitchell was approached by police and the Council’s Streetcare Enforcement and Awareness team on 15th October 2010 during a clamp down on the illegal transportation of scrap metal. The clamp down follows a spate of metal thefts across the County Borough and the teams are now out in force checking vehicles across Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The list of items stolen from across our County Borough continues to grow and the cost to replace these essential items is now running in to hundreds of thousands of pounds. As the thefts continue the Council has to find money from essential frontline services to replace what is being taken, potentially resulting in other service users suffering because of these thoughtless criminals.
So far this year the Council has reported the theft of street lighting cables, steel bins, gulley covers and lead roof tiles.
In a bid to catch those responsible and clamp down on the illegal transportation of controlled waste the Council is monitoring the transportation of scrap metal.
Police approached the van which was parked near the entrance to the former Chubb Factory in Maerdy. The driver, Mr Mitchell, said he had collected some scrap metal whilst traveling around the streets. The back of his van was found to contain various scrap metal, when asked what he intended doing with the metal, Mr Mitchell said he was taking it to a local scrap yard to be ‘weighed in’.
Mr Mitchell was then asked to produce documentation to prove that he was registered to carry waste. Mr Mitchell informed the Officers that he wasn’t a registered carrier, so he was informed that it was an offence to carry controlled waste without being registered and he was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £75 for the offence. Mr Mitchell failed to pay the fine and the offence was referred to Pontypridd Magistrates courts.
“Scrap metal is a controlled waste and must be transported in accordance with the current control of pollution legislation. It is an offence for people to transport scrap metal for profit or reward without first registering with the Environment Agency,’ said Nigel Wheeler, Director for Streetcare at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.
“This case also highlights how valuable the sharing of intelligence and information is when it comes to catching criminals and tackling metal theft. The Council is working closely with many different organisations and has forged a good working relationship with the South Wales Police. We will catch those who continue to steel from tax payers.”
Mr Mitchell was fined £100 by Pontypridd Magistrates on 8th June and ordered to pay £150 costs after being found guilty to transporting controlled waste whilst not being a registered waste carrier, an offence under the Control of Pollution (Amendement) Act 1989. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £15.00.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is asking residents to be on their guard and look out for anything suspicious. Council workers would always be dressed in Council branded clothing and travel in clearly branded vans and would never use rope or cutting materials to remove bins/street lighting/gulleys or roof tiles.
If you have any information about the thefts or would like to report the illegal transportation of waste please contact South Wales Police on 101 or contact the Council on 01443 494700.
