A court has fined a man without the authority to carry waste.

Ealing magistrates heard how police stopped Michael Stokes in Chiswick in 2018 on suspicion of a defective tyre when he was seen driving a Ford Transit. The van was filled with domestic and garden waste as well as metal.

The driver was identified as being Stokes, then of Shenstone Gardens, Romford – despite giving police an address that couldn’t be verified from the electoral roll.

When questioned, Stokes told police he was a registered waste carrier, but didn’t have the licence on him. He also said he was en route to a dump to drop off the waste. However, he was unable to give the name of the company employing him. In fact, he had no documents on him to confirm his occupation.

Stokes, now 44, was then later reported for operating without a waste carrier’s licence that resulted in his vehicle being seized by the Metropolitan Police.

Daniel Kettridge, an enforcement team leader for the Environment Agency, said:

People and companies who transport waste within Great Britain in the course of business, or with a view to profit, are required to have a waste carrier’s licence. This is to help ensure that waste is disposed of properly.

This case demonstrates how seriously we take waste crime. Our officers take robust enforcement action against those who deliberately ignore the law, to protect communities and the environment.

Stokes, now of Clayburn Circle, Basildon, appeared before Ealing magistrates’ court on Friday 20 November for breaking environmental law. He was fined £720, and ordered to pay costs of £3,709.23 and a victim surcharge of £72.