scrap collectors

Trex500

Trex500

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I am sure others have noticed the increase in scrap collectors increasing, We have a different one every day, sometimes two, I always wondered what would happen if two met in the same road, the local guy has been doing this round for years. Well yesterday it happened, I was in the upstairs room and heard the call...scrap iron..then a few seconds later shouting and swearing. :lol: I looked out and could see them at stand off not letting each pass, then they got out and started to fight, I went for the camera but was too late.

I know things are bad. But fighting over scrap metal.

Some persons or person has stripped the lead of local nature reserve buildings too, going to cost a fortune to replace. :thumbsdown: :shake:
 
scrap steel price is over £300/ton, not as high as 2008 but still high. It's not like back in the 1990s where the value of a scrap car was £4, once you got it to the scrap merchant.
 
Trex500 said:
I know things are bad. But fighting over scrap metal.
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fighting over anything is bad..

as far as scrap peeps go there are bad and good ones..; we moved into new house that needed alot of scrap clearing, scrap van pulled up to ask if they could take something they had seen on our front(apparently its against the law to just take), I said sure and asked them if they wanted to go round the back to look for stuff aswell... well they filled the van and went to Newark to weigh in (I am in Leicester) and came back and filled up again, but in there sorting the scrap from the back anything concrete they put in a pile for me and anything wood they put in another pile.. they made £1200 from the day they were at mine and I say thoroughly earned it, they were nice and polite and really helped me out..

on the flipside Tues is bin day and before the bin lorry empties a different scrap van drives up and down the streets emptying the bins of anything metal, well they make a right mess rubbish gets thrown on the floor bin lids get left open and I heard some shouting the other week and looked out and neighbor over the road was raising the alarm as they were caught nipping into a front garden to get 2 kids bikes...:nono:
 
strumstrum said:
scrap van pulled up to ask if they could take something they had seen on our front(apparently its against the law to just take)
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At work last week a transit van pulled into the yard and reversed up to the scrap pile with the back doors open, the foreman blocked it in with the forklift and they threatened him with a baseball bat

few weeks ago the same thing happened, the business adjacent has an electric gate and they followed a car in, started to help themselves but the gate closed so they threatened the forklift driver then the lads came out of the warehouse and the baseball bats came out

10 cop cars there in 5 minutes, it was like a Mexican standoff with the police shouting PUT THE WEAPONS DOWN

there's plenty of money in it when you steal it, it seems the scrapyards still don't ask questions where it comes from
 
strumstrum said:
scrap van pulled up to ask if they could take something they had seen on our front(apparently its against the law to just take)
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At work last week a transit van pulled into the yard and reversed up to the scrap pile with the back doors open, the foreman blocked it in with the forklift and they threatened him with a baseball bat

few weeks ago the same thing happened, the business adjacent has an electric gate and they followed a car in, started to help themselves but the gate closed so they threatened the forklift driver then the lads came out of the warehouse and the baseball bats came out

10 cop cars there in 5 minutes, it was like a Mexican standoff with the police shouting PUT THE WEAPONS DOWN

there's plenty of money in it when you steal it, it seems the scrapyards still don't ask questions where it comes from
 
Incidence of phone cables getting nicked is also common.
 
Now there's a new one, a scrap over scrap.

And yet broken freezers, fridges, old bedsteads and various other stuff that are made of metal gets dumped around here in alleyways by flytippers remains untouched for years, until the council give in and clear it out - only for fresh lots of rubbish to turn up in it's place. :bonk:
 
and cables to railway signals ... high voltage electricity cables etc etc.
 
I love it when the scrap man comes round, I made £25 last month for standing in the door and pointing to a pile of junk.
 
Guy came round last week, he got a broken telly and I got a racing bike that just needs a new gear cable. Sweet
 
In my area they tell people with old beds/bikes etc. not to pay someone to take it but just leave it out. Some of the Eastern European immigrants will remove the stuff overnight(along with the swans and fish from the river).
 
PsiFox said:
In my area they tell people with old beds/bikes etc. not to pay someone to take it but just leave it out. Some of the Eastern European immigrants will remove the stuff overnight(along with the swans and fish from the river).
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Yes, round here if you want shot of anything, telly, fridge etc, leave it in the drive with a "For Sale" sign on it. Its invariably nicked within a day or two. Jobs a good un.
 
I changed the engine in my sisters old corsa as the timing chain had slipped. It was only outside for a day before the pikeys came and took the engine!!
 
When we were on holiday thieves helped themselves to heavy Victorian cast iron bollard that was lying in my rear garden ready to be set in the ground,it would have taken two men to carry it and was definitely worth more as it is not as scrap!

Had the police round and he explained that despite it being taken without my consent even if the culprits were caught in possesion of it it would have to be proved in court that they acted dishonestly in taking it as they could claim they thought it was unwanted and were doing me a service by taking it away!!

Work that one out!!

Ps thankful that is all they took!
 
Word of warning folks - anyone collecting scrap, doing house/ garden/ garage clearances as a job (ie for profit not their own waste) should by law be registered as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency. They are also required, by law, to give a transfer note containing information on them, what waste is collected and where it is going to.

As a householder or business YOU have a duty of care to ensure that your waste is being handled in the correct way and being given to people who are registered. Faliure to do so can see you end up in court.

Local authorites are exempt as they are classed as the waste collection authority and many charities that collect are also exempt. You would also be supprised how many of the travelling folk are also registered as they know that they can not go to the scrap yards and landfill/ waste transfer stations without being registered.

Most legit people carry a copy of the certificate with them or you can check on the Environment Agency website for a list of registered carriers.

Nick
 
Tractor Boy said:
You would also be supprised how many of the travelling folk are also registered as they know that they can not go to the scrap yards and landfill/ waste transfer stations without being registered.
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None of the ones in my experience a few posts up were registered I can guarantee that, if it's so regulated how do they get rid of the stolen scrap

Transit turns up with 50 manhole covers as reported on the news a few months back, oooo they look heavy, here's the cash stick them in the back.
 
wack61 said:
None of the ones in my experience a few posts up were registered I can guarantee that, if it's so regulated how do they get rid of the stolen scrap

Transit turns up with 50 manhole covers as reported on the news a few months back, oooo they look heavy, here's the cash stick them in the back.
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It is very difficult but the scrap yards should ask for proof of registration before the accept the scrap. In my patch we sit on the weighbridges and check people in conjuction with the police. I have prosecuted several for carriers offences. The police look at the stolen scrap issues but it is very difficult to prove. In the case of signs, manhole covers and cabling it is quite a lot easier, particularly as most of the rail/ energy companies now only use one or two specific yards for disposal so anything anywhere else is probably stolen.

It is a massive issue, particularly as the price of scrap is high at the moment but the fact remains that we do, and will continue to take action as appropriate.
 
Tractor Boy said:
It is very difficult but the scrap yards should ask for proof of registration before the accept the scrap.
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I loaded my van with scrap (my own) and took it to Sims at Avonmouth. They didn't ask me if I was registered for anything, just weighed the van in and out and handed me £21.60 on the way out for my 240kg of "light iron" (mostly a cut up Hillman Imp shell).

I was later told by someone who knows that I got a very poor price, but I just wanted it gone, it had cluttered up my driveway slowly disintegrating for a decade or so :lol:
 
onomatopoeia said:
I loaded my van with scrap (my own) and took it to Sims at Avonmouth. They didn't ask me if I was registered for anything, just weighed the van in and out and handed me £21.60 on the way out for my 240kg of "light iron" (mostly a cut up Hillman Imp shell).

I was later told by someone who knows that I got a very poor price, but I just wanted it gone, it had cluttered up my driveway slowly disintegrating for a decade or so :lol:
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Unfortunatley what they should do and what they actually do are often poles apart. It does suprise me a little though as Simms are one of the larger companies that we have worked with over the years :thinking:
 
Spooky!!!

For the first time ever today I had someone at the door asking if I had any scrap metal!
 
mj4456 said:
A couple of jobs ago we had problem with pikeys stealing scrap out of the skips, we caught them one day( we=six large mechanics from the workshops) helping themselves, so we helped them out, 4 large steel brake discs were presented to them, unfortunately our aim was a bit off so instead of the pick up bed they landed in the cab of the pick up, via the windows, didn't see those guys again.
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Ever thought of who might have been up in court facing charges if any of them had been seriously injured or even killed by your actions!!
 
Thread cleaned. Keep it that way please.
 
Suvv said:
We had this last year - 2nd time it has happened :(

http://www.bexleytimes.co.uk/news/t...ing_bexleyheath_war_memorial_plaques_1_719066
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I can't say i'm suprised - its far from unknown for people to nick National Trust oakleaf signs (which are cast steel - though i'm sure some muppets are under the impression that they are aluminium) , and also interpretation panels which are sandwich ali (two layers of plastic pressure bonded onto an ali plat and totally worthless as scrap)
 
I'm an electrician mainly doing heavy industrial stuff and HV. Some of the cables I play with are as thick as an arm. Copper is ridiculous now, a few years ago it was less than £1 a kilo now it's been over £5.
Only last week another teenager was electrocuted in a primary sub station trying to nick the cable. Still I suppose whilst the price is that high the risks will still be taken.
 
Tractor Boy said:
Unfortunatley what they should do and what they actually do are often poles apart. It does suprise me a little though as Simms are one of the larger companies that we have worked with over the years :thinking:
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They certainly looked and acted like a professional outfit rather than a bunch of cowboys. Perhaps the fact it was not a whole shell in one piece but cut into very many small bits so I could move it myself (and consequently wasn't readily identifiable as having once been a car monocoque) made a difference. Plus I had plenty of other stuff with it, e.g. broken Land Rover diff etc.

That said, no-one was watching me unload it, the just asked if it was all ferrous, pointed me at the scrap pile and told me to empty the van there.
 
I can confirm from my own (sad) experience that some scrap dealers don't seem to be too interested in where the stuff comes from.

We lost just over 2 tons of lead acid batteries from our land, rang round all the scrap dealers and warned them about the theft. Only 1 seemed to be even remotely interested, the others clearly weren't
 
Garry Edwards said:
We lost just over 2 tons of lead acid batteries from our land,
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I have to ask

what the heck were you doing with two tons of lead acid batteries - building your own persnal submarine ???

Thats a hell of a lot of electric fences or machinery
 
big soft moose said:
I have to ask

what the heck were you doing with two tons of lead acid batteries - building your own persnal submarine ???

Thats a hell of a lot of electric fences or machinery
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My better half was running a recycling business. Unfortunately thieves are into recycling as well
 
These guys were a nightmare when I used to work for Thames Water.... One day they turn up on one site all in florescent vests etc.... Apparently on one question them.... The next day one of the site operators nearly fell in a channel, the little gits had stolen a load of the stainless steel grates that form the walkways.
 
Farce of nature said:
These guys were a nightmare when I used to work for Thames Water.... One day they turn up on one site all in florescent vests etc.... Apparently no one questioned them.... The next day one of the site operators nearly fell in a channel, the little gits had stolen a load of the stainless steel grates that form the walkways.
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big soft moose said:
I have to ask

what the heck were you doing with two tons of lead acid batteries - building your own persnal submarine ???

Thats a hell of a lot of electric fences or machinery
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Our pile at work must have been around half a ton, that was about 6 months worth. Bearing in mind Narrowboats have lots of BIG batteries, and they don't last long in tough use like that, every winter we'd be replacing around 100 batteries on our own fleet let alone outside jobs, all of which ended up in the pile.

There would always be some Irish bloke in a pickup rock up and say that he's working on a tarmaccing job down the road and they can use the acid i nthem if we have any spare batteries,,,:lol:
 
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