Unlicensed scrap dealer hit with £500 court bill
A Wearside man has been ordered to pay over £500 after he was found trading as a scrap metal dealer without a licence.
Durham County Council took legal action against Jackson Bainbridge, of School Road, Houghton, after police discovered and seized a damaged vehicle in Peterlee.
During the recovery, Bainbridge, 20, approached the officers and explained the vehicle was his and he had just collected it that morning to be scrapped, adding that he had a valid scrap metal licence.
Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court heard another van owned by Bainbridge own van was also in the area at the time advertising for scrap metal.
Durham Constabulary notified the council of the incident and checks on the council’s database showed Bainbridge did not have a valid scrap metal licence and he was invited to be interviewed under caution.
Bainbridge failed to attend the interview and appeared in court charged with carrying on business as a scrap metal dealer without an authorised licence.
He pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a £250 fine, £253.50 costs, and a victim surcharge of £34.
Joanne Waller, Durham County Council’s head of community protection, said: “It is vitally important that residents make sure they dispose of any waste correctly.
“This case should serve as a reminder to waste carriers to ensure they have the correct licences to dispose of scrap metal and other materials.
"It should also be a reminder to members of the public to check that anyone they have hired to dispose of scrap metal has the required licence to do so.”