The Scrap Metal Dealers Bill, which was approved by Parliament on 12 February, has today (28 February) officially become law after achieving royal assent.

The bill, tabled by Richard Ottaway MP, is due to come into effect later in the year, with Mr Ottaway’s office saying it could be implemented ‘as early as October’ but certainly ‘before the end of the year’.

As part of the new law, all scrap metal dealers will be required to hold licences in an attempt to clamp down on rogue traders. Local authorities and the police will have the power to revoke licences if they suspect a dealer of illegal activity.

According to the Home Office there are around 1,000 metal thefts every week, costing the UK an estimated £220 million each year.

Under the new law, dealing in cash, operating without a license or breaching the license conditions could result in heavy penalties, with magistrates being able to impose unlimited fines on offenders.

In addition, the bill now means that:

• an ‘enhanced’ application process for scrap dealers is to come into force;
• anyone selling scrap metal to a dealer must provide identification at the point of sale, which will then be recorded and retained by the dealer;
• police will be able to close unlicensed premises through the courts;
• a single national publicly-available register of all scrap metal dealers will be established;
• in an attempt to close loopholes, motor salvage operators will be brought under the banner of scrap metal dealers, whilst ‘itinerant’ dealers will no longer be able to deal in cash;
• compulsory vehicle and site badging will also come into effect.

‘Significant victory’

Speaking on the passage of the bill, Mr Ottaway said: “I am delighted that the Scrap Metal Dealers Bill has received Royal Assent. It marks a significant victory for communities throughout the country. For too long they have provided rich feeding grounds for opportunistic thieves who know they can get rid of stolen metals at rogue or negligent scrap yards.

“Metal theft is no petty crime. It hits at the heart of our daily lives – grinding trains to a halt, cutting off power supplies to hospitals and other lifelines, stripping roofs off churches and schools at huge public expense.

“Even more sickening are the attacks on our crematoriums and war memorials commemorating the nation’s war dead. It is particularly fitting therefore that this law has come in on the eve of the centenary of the First World War.”

His sentiments were echoed by Crime Prevention Minister Jeremy Browne, who commented: "It is great news for the metal industry and the public alike that these new regulations have become law today. This builds on the action we have already taken to tighten the net around rogue metal traders by banning them from trading in cash, increasing financial penalties and giving police extra powers.

“Metal theft affects everyone –from the stealing of cables that delay your rail journey home to the theft of church roofs which is extremely dangerous and costs hours of police time.

“The measures we have taken have already achieved significant reductions in metal theft across the UK. This new legislation will help tighten the net around rouge dealers who flout the rules and wilfully purchase stolen metals.”

British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) today (28 February) welcomed the news, with Director General Ian Hetherington, saying: “The Scrap Metal Dealers’ Act receiving royal assent is a milestone in bringing licensing up to date and in tackling metal theft.

“The implementation of the new Act in October will eradicate some of the issues brought about by the introduction of the LASPO Act late last year and will help to close down traders who operate on the wrong side of the law.

“We now have six months in which to work with local authorities, the Environment Agency, the police and members to make sure that everyone has the tools in place to follow and enforce the new rules as quickly as possible.”

Scrap metal company fined

In related scrap metal news, a company has been fined after a worker was badly injured when a bus swung into him and pinned him against a wall.

The incident happened at Abba Scrap Metal Ltd’s site in Merthyr Tydfil. Workers were attempting to use chains to lift a bus onto a low-loader truck so that it could be taken to a scrap yard to be crushed. The bus was being lifted by a combination of an excavator at the front and a forklift truck at the rear when it swung outwards and struck Clifford Evans.

Evans was briefly pinned against a wall before the bus swung back. He suffered fractures to his ribs and pelvis.

Magistrates in Merthyr Tydfil heard yesterday (27 February), how the work was badly planned and none of the workers involved had received training in lifting vehicles using chains. Furthermore, the firm should ‘not have allowed’ Evans to stand in a position where he risked being struck by the bus.

The company was fined £8,000 and £8,912 in court costs after admitting it had breached the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.

Speaking of the case, Inspector Dean Baker of the Health and Safety Executive said: "Clifford Evans suffered painful fractures to his pelvis and ribs, but his injuries could easily have been more serious or even fatal.

"The bus could have been lifted by simply using the grab on the excavator, but the company overcomplicated it by using two vehicles and not positioning the chains safely.

"Had the work been properly planned by Abba Scrap Metals, and had workers been given proper training on lifting vehicles, then the incident could have been avoided."

Read more on the Scrap Metal Dealers Bill.