/mlpol/ - https://archive.fo/uRIVU >Roofer fined £300

https://archive.fo/uRIVU

>Roofer fined £300 for having empty crisp packets in work van because he doesn’t have licence to carry waste

>Stewart Gosling, 43, tried to appeal the fine but has been told he will be up in court if he doesn't pay the penalty issued at the roadside

>A ROOFER has been hit with a £300 fine for keeping empty crisp bags in his van – because he doesn’t have a licence to carry waste.

>Messy Stewart Gosling, 43, kept empty crisp packets, sandwich wrappers and water bottles in a plastic bag in the back of his van.

>But when he was pulled over by council workers carrying out spot checks they told him he was breaking the law for carrying the rubbish without permission.

>He tried to appeal the fine but has been told he will be hauled to court if he doesn't pay the penalty.

>It costs £229 (+VAT) to register for a waste carriers licence which lasts for three years. It's then £154 for a renewal.

>Stewart said: "It's so infuriating. The working-class man gets penalised for going to work basically.

>"I've not fly-tipped. I've not left it in someone's garden. It's frustrated the hell out of me. There was just a bag of rubbish, bottles, crisp packets, newspapers and sandwich wrappers."

>He added: "What gets me is the lack of common sense. It's a lot of money for one bag of rubbish."

>The roofing contractor was driving through Chingford in North East London when he was pulled over by Waltham Forest Council workers.

>They searched his vehicle before asking him if he had a waste carriers' licence - required by any business that transports commercial refuse.

>Stewart, a married father-of-four, said: "I got out of the van and he had a look.

>"They were talking about a plastic bag around two feet high, which was filled with rubbish from my lunch.

>"He just said, 'You're going to be fined'."

>Stewart from Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire, was handed a fixed penalty notice for "failure to furnish documentation (waste carriers licence)".

>He was ordered to pay £300 within 14 days of the May 23 check.

>The contractor said he appealed the sanction, but there was a "delay" in the council's response. He asked for clarification on the fine amount but was away when the authority responded.

>Despite the threat of court he is refusing to pay the fine.

>He added: "It seems a bit steep to be honest. A warning would have been more understandable.

>"It just aggravated me. It should be common sense. I had no idea you needed a waste licence, you have to be polite to these people but it annoyed me."

>A Waltham Forest Council spokesman said: "The waste in this case was being transported in commercial refuse bag in the trader's vehicle.

>"Regardless of what the items are, if waste is being stored in a commercial refuse bag in a trader's van it is necessary that they have a valid waste carriers' licence.

>"It is widely recognised as best practice for tradesmen to be licensed to avoid legal repercussions, in the event they are required to transport even small quantities of waste."

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