Mendip District Council have teamed up with Avon and Somerset Police to target illegal waste carriers in several stop and search exercises across the district.

The operations were carried out at Wells and Glastonbury by the Council's Community Protection team, Licensing Officers and Police Neighbourhood teams.

A total of 38 vehicles were stopped during the latest initiative. Most were compliant with regulations, however, two vehicles were found with no road tax and two waste carriers were unable to provide the correct documentation.

The teams also visited Somerset Waste Partnership's Dulcote Waste and Recycling Centre and found that the overwhelming majority of vehicles stopped were compliant, but some waste carriers will face follow-up action and further enquiries.

Cllr Heather Shearer, Portfolio Holder for Community Health & Services, said: "I'm glad we're finding that most waste carriers are complying with the rules, but it is satisfying to know that our joint efforts with the police to ensure compliance is working, and that we are catching rogue waste carriers off-guard with these stop and search operations.

"We're continuing to crack down on this illegal actively with more random checks planned for the coming months."

Cllr Shearer added: "People who manage waste illegally cost the taxpayer millions each year in clean-up costs. They undercut legitimate businesses, pose a threat to sustainable growth in the waste management sector and take valuable resources from the public sector, in addition to having a devastating impact on wildlife and the environment."

The teams spoke to drivers who were potentially carrying scrap metal and gave advice on how to obtain a scrap metal license. Part of the commitment of the crackdown team involves educating households and businesses to ensure they understand the legal duty of care regarding the waste that they produce.

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Details of scrap metal licenses can be found on the Council's website here: www.mendip.gov.uk/scrapmetal.

Learn about your legal duty of care and how to obtain a waste carrier license with the Environment Agency here: www.mendip.gov.uk/streetclean.