Metal recyclers will soon be subject to new law now that the Scrap Metal Dealers Bill has received Royal Assent to be come an Act of Parliament.
The Private Members’ Bill that was launched by Richard Ottaway MP is now scheduled to be implemented from October.
All scrap dealers will now be required to hold licences with local authorities having the power to revoke licences if they suspect a dealer is involved in illegal activity.
Loopholes that allow motor salvage operators and itinerant traders to continue to trade scrap metal in cash will be closed under the new Act.
While a single national register of scrap metal dealers will be created.
Richard 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.”
