Police officers have carried out a traffic operation in West Cornwall to target the problem of unlicensed waste carriers and rogue traders.

Officers from the Devon & Cornwall Police Roads Policing Team, Camborne, Pool & Redruth Neighbourhood Team and the Professional Development Unit worked in partnership with other agencies.

Several drivers were spoken to during the operation and one person was arrested for theft. 

Tickets with a penalty fine were also issued for having no insurance, overloaded vehicles and insecure loads. 

One prohibition notice was also served which means the person cannot continue to use the vehicle until repairs have been made. One motorist was stopped for driving other than in accordance with a licence and having no vehicle brake lights.  

Police Community Support Officer Bev Faull helped to organise the operation and said: “We are aware of a number of unlicensed waste carriers and rogue traders working in Cornwall – fly tipping has also been on the increase, which comes at a cost to the council as they have to clear the affected sites.

“We are also aware that some of the same carriers remove metal without permission of the owners and this constitutes a crime under the theft act. 

“When people are unlicensed in one area, this can mean they do not follow legislation across the board so may have unroadworthy vehicles, may not have vehicle tax, vehicles may be unsafe or not insured to carry out business activities. 

“This operation was to address those issues and disrupt such behaviour.”

Waste carriers have required a licence to collect waste and/or metal since 2014 and should display their licence and registration number when collecting any waste materials.

PCSO Bev Faull added: “We would urge anyone employing people to remove waste to check that their supplier has the right licence, otherwise, they could unknowingly end up the wrong side of the law if their waste is fly tipped.”

Partners taking part in the recent operation included Cornwall Council Licensing Compliance, Trading Standards, the Department for Work & Pensions and the Environment Agency to bring about this successful operation.

BT Openreach staff also assisted to help identify any cable that may have been discovered during the vehicle checks.   

A police spokesperson added: “Further checks will be followed up by partner agencies and police are warning waste carriers to make sure they are complying with the rules in future.  

“If you are aware of anyone who is operating without a waste carrier licence please report them.”

For more information about registering for a licence please visit www.gov.uk