Defra has today announced plans to tackle unscrupulous scrap metal dealers who deal with metal thieves. The announcement comes following lobbying from countryside groups including the NFU who claim scrap metal theft is on the rise in the UK.

Dealers linked to metal theft will have their licences torn up, Environment Minister Lord Taylor announced today; according to new rules, anyone convicted of a crime relating to metal theft will be barred from working legitimately in the scrap business.

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Environment Minister Lord Taylor expressed his hopes for the new legislation, “Stolen metal will be too hot to handle.  Mindless criminals who steal and the scrap dealers who fuel the market, are causing misery and anger for countless people. We’ll purge the industry of rotten elements by flushing them out of legitimate businesses, or shutting dodgy businesses down altogether.”

The new regulations follow on from the recent Metal Theft (Prevention) Bill, which was abandoned in parliament. However, elements of the bill are present in Defra’s plans. Home Secretary Theresa May has pledged to ban cash payments for scrap metal, as part of a drive to tackle metal theft.

Under the proposed legislation, the Environment Agency will be tightening the range of conditions taken into account when awarding licences for transporting or handling waste, including scrap.

The Environment Agency’s Chief Executive Paul Leinster commented, “Metal theft continues to be a major problem so we welcome the wider range of convictions that will be available to us when deciding whether to issue or remove environmental permits.

“This builds on work we are doing to support the British Transport Police’s crackdown on metal theft and our on-going work to tackle illegal waste sites. Waste crime puts people and the environment at risk and undercuts legitimate businesses who take their environmental responsibilities seriously.”

Today’s announcement follows the government’s commitment of £5 million to establish a dedicated metal theft taskforce to enhance law enforcement activity in this area.

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