Horsham District Council to clamp down on metal theft

A new act clamping down on the theft of scrap metal is set to come into force on December 1.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Oct 2013, 18:00 BST

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 was given Royal Assent in February.

The Act means that all scrap metal dealers and motor salvage operators will have to have a licence issued by the council.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cllr Christian Mitchell (Con, Holbrook West), chairman of Horsham District Council’s licensing committee, said: “It’s great news that this new ruling is coming into force.

“Hopefully this will result in less metal thefts in the future, which cost the country around £220 million a year.”

The new law has been brought in to try and clamp down on the large number of metal thefts that have taken place in the UK in recent years.

The new rules apply to both scrap metal sites and collectors and include a ban on paying for scrap metal in cash and a requirement for sites and collectors to verify the identity of the seller.

For more information, please email Horsham District Council at [email protected] or call 01403 215471 / 215578.