Enforcement officers from North East Lincolnshire Council led a multi-agency crackdown in Grimsby against unlawful waste carriers and defective commercial vehicles.
Working with Humberside Police, Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), they stopped 28 van drivers for checks to their paperwork and their vehicles.
During the operation on Tuesday 7 March, mobile police patrols identified commercial vehicles suspected of carrying waste without the correct licence.
They escorted the suspect vehicles to a Designated Inspection Area at Garibaldi Street Car Park, off Freeman Street.
Enforcement results:
- 7 x unlawful waste carrier (Fixed Penalty Notice £300)
- 5 x registered compliant with the Environment Agency on the day
- 7 x reported for waste transfer offences
- 2 x arrests for drug driving
- 4 x mobile phone whilst driving (punishment is £200 and 6 points)
- 3 x insecure load (non-endorsable £50 fine)
- 2 x fail to wear seatbelt (non-endorsable £100 fine)
- 4 x no insurance (6 points and £300 fine)
- 2 x tyre offences (3 points and £100 fine)
- 1 x no MOT (non-endorsable £100 fine)
- 1 x Vehicle defect report for a lighting fault.
Cllr Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for Safer and Stronger Communities at North East Lincolnshire Council, said:
“The results speak for themselves. The focus for our activity is to tackle fly-tipping by unlicensed waste carriers, but by working together with other agencies, we’ve taken drugged-up drivers and unsafe vehicles off our streets.
“Environmental crimes are costly to deal with and place a huge financial burden on local authorities across the country.
“We will be carrying out more of these checks on commercial vehicles in different parts of the borough.
“If your paperwork is not in order, or if your vehicle isn’t safe, we will fine you.”
Inspector Matt Stringer, of Humberside Police’s Grimsby East Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:
“Days like this allow us to tackle traffic offences such as insecure loads, uninsured vehicles and driving under the influence, whilst also assisting our colleagues in the council, DVSA and HRMC.
This joined-up approach gets results for all of us as we try to ensure the roads of Grimsby and Cleethorpes are made safe from irresponsible or criminal drivers.”
Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership (ECP)
Tuesday’s operation forms part of an ongoing campaign by the Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership (ECP) to:
- Raise awareness with traders of their obligations to operate within the law;
- Disrupt those that wilfully ignore their lawful obligations through enforcement action and where practicable bring about compliance.
The Lincolnshire ECP develops cross border intelligence-led enforcement actions between partner agencies by targeting repeat offenders, changing behaviour and reducing environmental crime in our towns and rural areas.
The fallout from environmental crime is often expensive and places a high financial burden on all local authorities. It impacts the services that can be provided to communities.
Everyone benefits from enforcement action that limits or reduces Environmental Crime and the public interest is always the prime motive for an operation of this nature. The only people that are disadvantaged are offenders (knowingly or unwittingly).
Agencies and what they are checking
North East Lincolnshire Council – Environmental Enforcement
- Unlawful waste carriers
North East Lincolnshire Council – Trading Standards
- Rogue Traders
- Consumer protection and unfair trading
Humberside Police
- Insecure load
- Uninsured vehicles
- Mobile phone offences
- Seat belt offences
- Construction and use
- Drug driving
Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
- Construction and Use
- Road worthiness
- Driver hours
His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
- Fuel Tax Evasion
Waste carrier licences
Traders from all areas of industry (including but not limited to builders, plumbers, electricians, couriers and property maintenance) need to have lawful authority to transfer waste.
Controlled waste is defined as any waste, whether industrial/commercial or household. Controlled waste is not restricted in any way shape or form and may even be as a result of vehicle cabin waste such as food packaging and drinks cartons.
If you haven’t already checked your obligations, visit the Environmental Agency website for further information. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency.
- If you only generate your own waste as part of your day to day work, see lower tier licence
- If you transfer other people’s waste, see upper tier licence.
Operating without a licence exposes you to Enforcement action that may include:
- A fixed penalty Notice – £300
- Vehicle seizure – £150 release fee
- Court prosecution.
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