Illegal waste and scrap collectors from Salisbury fined thousands of pounds
The duo operated illegally over social media
Last updated 6th Sep 2023
A pair of illegal waste and scrap collectors from Salisbury have been fined £5,500 as Wiltshire Council continues to clampdown on unlicensed waste collectors in the county.
Mr Stephen Dickel of Westwood Road in Salisbury pled guilty to failing to produce a waste carriers license and operating an unlicensed scrap metal collection business.
Mr Dickel, who was also prosecuted for unlicensed scrap metal collection in October 2019, was fined £5.5 by Salisbury Magistrates on 31st August.
Mr Dickel’s co-defendant, Warran Chant, also of Westwood Road, pled guilty to transporting waste without a waste carriers licence and to operating as an unlicensed scrap collector at an earlier hearing.
The pair were stopped by Wiltshire Police in January 2022, where they falsely claimed they were in the process of applying for a scrap metal collectors licence issued by Wiltshire Council.
The duo used social media to continue their illegal operations by marketing their business.
Council officers will now be handing the details of the prosecutions to HMRC as no tax was paid on all income from the illegal activity.
Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Waste, Cllr Caroline Thomas, congratulated enforcement officers for securing the conviction.
“As these convictions show, we take unlicensed waste and scrap metal collection very seriously, and we will work hard to prosecute offenders.”
She warned residents to be ‘wary’ about who they allow to take their scrap metal and waste, as giving waste to unlicensed collectors can carry a fine.