A Thornbury man has been ordered to pay a £250 fine and £26 victim surcharge for illegal transportation of waste. Duncan Young, 45, of Dovedale was prosecuted by South Gloucestershire Council after he was discovered transporting waste without a Waste Carriers' Licence. Young pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court on Monday, January 9.
The court heard that on October 19 last year, South Gloucestershire Council’s environmental enforcement officers were involved with a partnership operation led by Avon and Somerset Police at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway. The operation focused on road safety and mobile criminality and included checks for road worthiness of vehicles, anti-social use of vehicles and trade licensing compliance.
During the operation, police officers escorted a white pickup truck into the stop check area for inspection. The vehicle was liveried with D Young Garden Services and was towing a trailer that contained a large quantity of green waste.
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Council officers spoke to Young, the driver of the vehicle, who was asked to complete a roadside questionnaire. The defendant confirmed the vehicle and business were his own. He also confirmed that he had been present when the green waste had been loaded onto the vehicle.
The questionnaire asked if the vehicle owner had a Waste Carriers' Licence and Young confirmed that he didn’t. He also confirmed that the waste had been collected as part of a job the business had completed the previous day and that he had received payment for it.
Young was advised that he had committed the offence of transporting controlled waste without a registered Waste Carriers' Licence.
Councillor Rachael Hunt, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “This offence was discovered during a police-led multi-agency operation.
“I hope this serves as a warning to those who flout the law in our area and demonstrates that the council and our partners will continue to search out waste crime and we will not hesitate to take action when people are found to be acting illegally.
“Those who run waste collection businesses must make sure they have the correct licences for carrying waste. We encourage the public and businesses to always ask for their waste carrier’s registration number and ask to see their waste transfer note to ensure their waste is being disposed of legally.”
Simple steps ensure your waste is disposed of legally:
Ask for a copy of the company’s waste carrier registration certificate and ask where the waste is being taken. Legitimate firms will be happy to provide this information
Do not be tempted to use people offering cheap waste clearance on sites such as Facebook and Gumtree unless you have confirmed that they are registered with the Environment Agency
Check whether the waste carrier is registered by calling the Environment Agency on 03708 506506 or by checking on their website here
Ask for a registered trading address and contact telephone number for the trader and get a receipt
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