Scrap Metal licences

All application forms and supporting documents must be submitted via email to licensing.team@threerivers.gov.uk. To arrange payment of the application fee please call customer services on 01923 776611

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We are responsible for regulating businesses in Three Rivers District that deal in scrap metal, including motor salvage.

Under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, businesses that act wholly or partly as scrap metal dealers will be required to hold licences from us. This includes any business which:

• buys or sells scrap metal, or articles containing metal (irrespective of whether the metal is processed in between), either at a site or through mobile collections
• recovers salvageable parts from motor vehicles, to be reused or sold
• buys written-off vehicles for repair and re-sale
• trades motor vehicles for salvage or recovery purposes

Collecting, buying or selling items for their metal content, such as old household goods or end-of-life vehicles, will also require a scrap metal licence. However, gold and silver (including alloys with more than two per cent gold or silver) are not covered within this Act.

We issue the following types of licence:

• Site licences - for businesses that operate collection yards, offices, storage facilities or industrial units within Three Rivers District. These licences also allow metal to be collected by appointment and transported from sites in other areas.
• Collector's licences - for businesses without sites that wish to collect scrap metal by way of door-to-door visits in Three Rivers District. This licence does not authorise the licensee to operate a site; to do so they will need a site licence.

You can only obtain one type of licence from us so, you will have to decide whether you require a site licence or a mobile licence.  If the nature of your business changes, you can apply to change the type of licence at a later date. Our licences are only valid in Three Rivers, so if you wish to run sites or collect in one or more different council areas, you need to apply for licences in every applicable council.

 

Register of currently licensed scrap metal collectors and sites in our district - TRDC Scrap Metal licence public register

The Environment Agency maintains a national public register of all licensed scrap metal dealers.

 

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From 1 October 2013, cash cannot be used by any scrap metal dealer to buy scrap metal. It is an offence to buy scrap metal for cash under section 12 of the Act and there are no exemptions. Only payment by a non-transferable cheque or an electronic transfer of funds will be acceptable. This will mean that the payment will be linked to a readily identifiable account, for both the payee and the payer.

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Apply for a new licence

Trading during the application period is not permitted. The period will begin upon the receipt of a full and valid application.

Tacit consent does not apply as there is an overriding public interest in ensuring that the suitability of applicants is assessed before the licence is issued.

 

Licensed scrap metal dealers are obliged to notify us of certain events, and keep their licences up to date by making variation applications should key details change.

They must also keep records of details of their transactions, which may be inspected from time to time by police or council officers. Information that is required to be recorded includes:

• the type of metal being purchased
• the time/date of the transaction
• personal information on the seller
• who is acting on behalf of the dealer
• proof of the non-cash transaction

A Site Licence holder must display a copy of the licence in a prominent place that is accessible to the public, at each site identified in the licence (section 10 (1)(2)). A scrap metal dealer who holds a collectors licence must display a copy of the licence on any vehicle that is being used the course of the dealers business so as to be read easily by a person outside the vehicle (section 19 (3)(4)). It is an offence not to do this.

 

A Site Licence holder may wish to carry a copy of the relevant site licence in their vehicle so they are not mistaken for an unlicensed mobile collector. However there is no legal requirement to do this.

 

If a mobile collector holds several scrap metal licences, they must ensure that the correct licence is displayed when collecting in the relevant licensing council area. Failure to do so is an offence.

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Apply to vary a licence

Please complete the below application form and email this to licensing.team@threerivers.gov.uk if you want to make a variation to your licence

Application for a variation to a Scrap Metal licence (pdf)

The application must be accompanied by the appropriate fee as well as any supporting documents as requested.

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Please complete the below application form and email this to licensing.team@threerivers.gov.uk 

Application for a scrap metal site or collector licence (pdf)

Applications must be accompanied by the appropriate fee, as well as basic Disclosure certificates issued within the last three months, for every applicant, partner, director and site manager named in the application. You can apply for a Basic Disclosure online.

 

If you have any comments or complaints about a scrap metal dealer in Three Rivers, we would advise that you first contact the trader direct. The best way to do this is by sending a letter with proof of delivery.

If that has not worked, the Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to provide assistance.

 

If you believe that a scrap metal dealer is trading in Three Rivers without a licence, or is breaching their licence, please contact us with the details and we will investigate.

 

If you need more information on scrap metal licences, or you wish to report an unlicensed scrap metal dealer or a dealer breaching a licence, please contact us:

Email: licensing.team@threerivers.gov.uk
Telephone: 01923 776611