Council Prosecutes Illegal Waste Carrier

Mat Jackson, of Eastchurch on the Isle Of Sheppey, was seen transporting a large load of waste, including scrap metal, on the A249 during Op Assist - a joint operation between Kent Police’s rural task force and Swale Borough Council - in May 2023.   

Mr Jackson drove away from the police, who pursued him in a marked police vehicle, they caught up with his flatbed lorry at a scrap metal site in Sittingbourne.   

Officers carried out vehicle checks at this location and discovered he was transporting the waste without a license and could not produce a transfer note.   

He was issued with two fixed penalty notices for these offences, which he failed to pay, so the council proceeded to take the case to court.  

He attended Medway Magistrates’ court on Friday 9th February and pleaded guilty to two offences: transporting controlled waste on the highway without being a licensed waste carrier and failing to produce waste transfer notes.  

The court fined him £500 for each offence, £470 investigation costs, £220 legal costs and £400 victim surcharge, totalling £2,090.  

Cllr Rich Lehmann, the chair of the Environment Committee at Swale Borough Council, told FM News: “This case shows why we carry out operations like Op Assist with Kent Police. While the scrap metal may make it to the recycling site, where is the rest of the waste - like the rubber from bike tyres, or fabrics from furniture - going?  A legitimate waste collection service should have no issue with getting a license and completing the appropriate paperwork, such as transfer notes, to show they are disposing of waste responsibly".   

Cllr Lehmann went on to add: “Fly-tipping is not only detrimental to the environment, but it takes up officers’ time and our resources, not to mention the cost of cleaning up someone else’s selfishly dumped waste. Please be wary of cheap services, always make sure they have a license and get a transfer note, because if any tipped waste is tracked back to you, you could also be facing fines. If we work together to stop fly-tippers, by not providing them with the waste in the first place, and disposing of our own waste responsibly, we can make Swale a cleaner place.” 

To check if someone is a licenced waste carrier you can visit: Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers (data.gov.uk).