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Fife scrap metal merchant pled guilty to waste offences

EXT01 – D01

Operators dealing with end of life vehicles are being reminded of the importance of ensuring they follow licence conditions after a scrap metal merchant pled guilty to waste offences at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Thursday 1 April.

Henry Gray & Sons pled guilty to contravening a condition of a waste management licence and to treating, keeping or disposing of controlled waste, namely waste motor vehicles and parts including waste motor vehicle engines and axles in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health. The matter was investigated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

In October 2007 SEPA officers carried out a routine inspection of the site at Randolph Industrial Estate, Kirkcaldy. They observed seven waste motor vehicles, which had not had polluting liquids, such as engine oil, brake fluid, screenwash and coolant removed not being stored on a sealed concrete surface which would contain any leakage of these polluting liquids  

Approximately 30 bailed cars were being stored out in the open on permeable ground in the central area of the site.  Oily pools were noted beneath them. Later in the inspection SEPA officers witnessed vehicles being bailed, each of which was dripping with polluting fluids. Once bailed the vehicles were placed on a permeable surface in the centre of the site (where the polluting fluids could escape into soils and groundwater).

Judith Moore, SEPA's Fife Team Manager, said:

"The End-of-Life Vehicles Directive aims to promote the collection, reuse and recycling of components to protect the environment. In particular it requires that waste motor vehicles can only be stored and treated in accordance with tightened environmental treatment standards.

"Waste vehicles must be stored and treated without causing harm to the environment. Specific requirements, such as impermeable surfaces with provision for spillage collection and appropriate storage containers for parts and fluids, must be met, and crushing should not take place without vehicles first being depolluted. The activities on this site demonstrate that Henry Gray & Sons showed a blatant disregard for the regulations, which are designed to prevent pollution of the environment."

SEPA's Colin Bayes, Director of Environmental Protection and Improvement said:

"We want to help people avoid pollution and advice on how to do that is easily available from our staff, offices and www.sepa.org.uk. The NetRegs website, www.netregs.gov.uk, also offers clear guidance on environmental rules and regulations. However, where pollution is significant or persistent, or is as a result of willful or negligent actions, SEPA will use its enforcement powers to protect the environment for the benefit of all of Scotland's citizens.

"However, if a pollution incident occurs, we urge anyone to let us know straight away by calling our 24 hour pollution report line, 0800 80 70 60, giving as many details as possible so effective action can be taken."

Ends

Notes to editor

The exact charge(s) Henry Gray and Sons pled guilty to were:

• (001) On 18 October 2007 and 29 October 2007 at Randolph Place, Randolph Industrial Estate, Kirkcaldy you HENRY GRAY & SONS did treat, keep or dispose of controlled waste, namely waste motor vehicles and parts thereof including waste motor vehicle engines and axles in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health, namely:

i) keep in excess of 30 bailed waste motor vehicles on a permeable surface resulting in the release and pooling of polluting substances on said permeable surface, and

ii) treat waste motor vehicles by bailing them without prior depollution and subsequently placed these bailed waste motor vehicles, which were dripping with polluting substances, namely engine oil, coolant and screenwash, onto a permeable surface resulting in the release and pooling of polluting substances on said permeable surface

iii) store a non depolluted waste motor vehicle, waste motor vehicle engines and axles and treat waste motor vehicles by stripping them of components on a surface whose condition was such that it would not retain polluting substances and would not prevent entry of polluting substances to underlying soil and groundwater systems

CONTRARY to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Section 33(1)(c) as amended and Section 33(6)

• (002) on 24 April 2008 at Randolf Place, Randolph Industrial Estate Kirkcaldy you HENRY GRAY & SONS, being the holder of waste management licence WML/7/95, did contravene condition 3.1.3 of said licence, in that vehicles shall remain on an impermeable pavement until depolluted whereby you did store seven non depolluted waste motor vehicles on a permeable surface in or on said land;

CONTRARY to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Section 33(6)