A rogue scrap metal collector from Swindon has been convicted and sentenced.
At Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 14 February, Mark Tapp was was found guilty in his absence of operating an unlicensed scrap metal collection business.
The defendant, of Gable Close, was caught trading by a Wiltshire Police officer in May 2024.
The vehicle he was driving, a White Ford Transit Tipper, was also towing a small trailer and both were full of scrap metal items including washing machines, a motorcycle frame, sheet metal, piping and a bed frame.
When questioned, he advised that he worked for Wiltshire Junk Busters and that he takes the collected scrap metal to metal dealers in Swindon and Pewsey.
Wiltshire Junk Busters had been advertising on social media sites offering free rubbish collection and the collection of scrap metal for cash. The collection of scrap metal for cash was made illegal under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act in 2013.
The council’s Environmental Enforcement Team had also received a report of a scrap metal collector touting for scrap metal collection over a loudspeaker while driving around Pewsey. Officers were able to trace the vehicle to Tapp with the assistance of witnesses.
Any individuals or businesses who carry waste must register with the Environment Agency under the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 and Waste Regulations 2011. All scrap metal dealers will be subject to background and suitability checks before being issued with a licence.
When investigated by officers from Wiltshire Council’s Environmental Enforcement Team, it was found that no waste carrier licence was registered for either Tapp or Wiltshire Junk Busters.
In addition, they identified that both were not licensed to trade in scrap metal in Wiltshire. Officers had seized the list of transactions made by Tapp with the scrap metal dealers, which were used as evidence that he was illegally trading the scrap metal.
The court ordered him to pay a fine and costs to the value of £3,030.
Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways and Streetscene, said: “We are working hard to stop rogue traders such as this from operating in Wiltshire.
“Not only is what they are doing illegal but it could also take business away from our genuine businesses and put our residents at risk of being fined or prosecuted too.
“I’d like to thank Wiltshire Police who worked closely with our investigators to bring this offender to justice and the witness who assisted by providing the team with crucial evidence.
“Our Stop at Source (SAS) campaign is designed to educate businesses and residents in correct waste management and how to look out for rogue traders.
“People who use social media sites to find waste collectors should ensure that they write down the waste carriers licence number and vehicle registration number and obtain waste transfer documents, as this could help to protect them from also being fined.
“As this case shows, we take unlicensed waste and scrap metal collection very seriously, and we will work hard to prosecute offenders.”
