£300 FINE IS RUBBISH
Roofer nabbed for crisp packets in van:
A ROOFER was fined £300 for keeping lunch wrappers in his van because he didn’t have a licence to carry waste.
Stewart Gosling had tidied away empty sandwich boxes, crisp packets and bottles into a plastic bag.
But when he was pulled over for a spot check, council workers told him he was breaking the law.
Stewart, 43, of Cheshunt, Herts, said: “It’s so infuriating. The working-class man gets penalised for going to work, basically.
“I’ve not fly-tipped. I’ve not left it in someone’s garden. It’s frustrated the hell out of me.”
The married dad of four has refused to pay the fine levied by Waltham Forest council workers in Chingford, north-east London.
But now he has been threatened with prosecution unless he stumps up the cash.
Sense
Stewart said: “What gets me is the lack of common sense. It’s a lot of money for one bag of rubbish.”
It costs £229 plus VAT to register for a three-year waste carriers’ licence, and then another £154 if you want to renew it.
A council spokesman said: “The waste in this case was being transported in a commercial refuse bag in the trader’s vehicle.
“Regardless of what the items are, if waste is being stored in a commercial refuse bag in a trader’s van, it is necessary that they have a valid waste carriers’ licence.
“It is widely recognised as best practice for tradesmen to be licensed to avoid legal repercussions, in the event they are required to transport even small quantities of waste.”
The Star Says: Page 6