Ealing Council is warning residents to check that anyone they employ to remove any rubbish has a valid waste carriers licence, otherwise their attempt to save money could land them with a hefty fine.

This is because rogue traders who take cash from residents for removing items such as building rubble, old bathroom and kitchen fittings, garden waste and unwanted furniture do not dispose of it properly but dump it anywhere. If they do, under Waste Regulations* 2005 a court can levy a fine of up to £5000 on residents convicted of using un-licensed waste carrier.

All businesses transporting waste must be registered and carry a licence from the Environment Agency. They also need to carry a waste transfer note, which gives a written description of the waste and shows where the waste is from and where it is going.

These regulations are designed to reduce the thousands of tonnes of fly-tip dumped in the UK each year. Ealing Council’s Envirocrime officers have joined forces with the Environment Agency and the Police to carry out spot checks on vehicles thought be carrying waste illegally.

Those found not to have a valid waste carrier’s licence or waste transfer notes are being given fixed penalty notices or reported for prosecution. Only a few weeks earlier, during an Ealing Council’s spot check, some one without a waste carrier's licence or waste transfer note was given two Fixed Penalty Notices for £300 each.

Ongoing spot checks have been arranged that rwill otate across the borough to improve community safety and reduce envirocrime.

The Environment Agency has set up an online waste carrier register where registered waste carriers can now be found. Visit www2.environment-agency.gov.uk/epr/search.asp to find local businesses that are registered.

Anyone using a private waste carrier should check the register, or call the Environment Agency on 08708 506 506.

Cllr Will Brooks, Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Services, said: “Nobody wants to pay for a service that is not provided and worse that could end up blighting their own community. “If residents only employ registered waste carriers and we increase enforcement we can drive professional fly-tippers out of business.”