TWO men have been prosecuted for carrying scrap goods without a licence.

Nathan Locke and Jim James were ordered to pay a total of almost £2,000 following the breaches, which happened on separate occasions in Worcester.

Locke, aged 26 and from Highfield Road in Tipton, was stopped by police and a trading standards officer in Droitwich on Wednesday, April 24, while driving a vehicle carrying scrap metal.

He was given an infringement notice after failing to produce a licence and, just over a week later, on Thursday, May 2, was again stopped by police, this time in Worcester.

Found again to be carrying scrap, he was invited to a ‘police and criminal evidence interview’ to discuss the case on two occasions, but failed to attend.

Appearing at Worcester Magistrates’ Court, he later admitted carrying scrap without a licence or transfer notes on both occasions.

He was fined £450, ordered to pay court costs of £300, plus a £25 victim surcharge.

At a different hearing, 20-year-old James, of Pershore Lane, Worcester, pleaded guilty by post to not having a waste transfer note or a waste carrier licence.

He was stopped on the Sixways island, near Worcester rugby club’s ground, on Wednesday, April 24, and found to be carrying a small amount of scrap. Police officers gave him a formal warning and asked him to apply for a licence within 14 days.

But the court was told how, seven weeks later, he had not, meaning he was prosecuted. At Worcester Magistrates’ Court he was handed a £400 fine, ordered to pay £585 in court costs and a victim surcharge of £40.

Dave Roberts, environmental crime enforcement officer with Wychavon District Council, urged homeowners to be aware of the rules when handing over scrap.“Householders need to be aware that if a scrap collector offers to collect any waste from your house you must check that he has a valid licence to carry that waste,” he said.