During two road stops in Sussex carried out by the Environment Agency and partners, 29 vehicles were checked and 27 offences were detected.
The Environment Agency and Sussex Police Rural Crime Team, in partnership with West Sussex local authority and the DVLA, carried out road stops in Bognor Regis and Hassocks last month.
They were checking large haulage lorries and smaller vehicles carrying waste or vehicles that routinely carry waste as part of their business, to make sure their vehicles and paperwork were in order.
The Environment Agency said 29 vehicles carrying waste were stopped and 27 offences were identified. The offences included no MOTs, improper driving licences, incorrect number plates, vehicle defects and tyre defects.
Additionally, three vehicles had no waste carrier licences and two vehicles had breached their duty of care.
The Environment Agency said it is considering appropriate enforcement action for the businesses or individuals that weren’t compliant with the regulations.
Commenting on the operation, Jon Rhodes, Environmental Crime Team Leader, for the Environment Agency, said: “This should serve as a warning to those who would flout the law that we and our partners will continue to search out waste crime and we won’t hesitate to act when operators work outside of the law.
“To avoid giving your waste to an illegal waste carrier and ending up at an illegal waste site, we encourage the public and businesses to ask for their waste collector’s waste carrier’s registration number and ask to see their waste transfer note – they must be able to produce both. We also encourage people who are paying in cash to be even more cautious of the waste operator.”
