Sunderland scrap man pulled over in South Shields for an unsecured load

James Waddell, 20, must fork out a total of £785 for offences committed when he tried to earn a day’s pay on Monday, September 29.

He was pulled over by officers fearful of a visible imbalance in items in the back of his Ford Tipper vehicle in King George Road, South Shields.

Waddell, of King Edward Road, North Hylton, did not realise he needed specific paperwork to use the motor for personal gain.

At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to using a vehicle when he had declared it would not be used on a public road.

He also admitted driving without insurance and using a vehicle causing a danger due to the weight distribution of its load.

Prosecutor Ruth Forster said: “An officer saw a Ford Tipper and his attention was drawn to it because it appeared to have a dangerous load of scrap items.

“It was apparent that if the vehicle was to go quickly around a corner or speed hump, the load could come out. There was also an underinflated rear tyre.

“When spoken to, the driver said that he had only recently bought the vehicle, and it was being used to collect scrap metal and that he was insured to drive it.

“There was an insurance policy but it was just for commuting from one place to another.

“Mr Waddell also confirmed that he didn’t have an environmental waste permit.

“He said that he didn’t realise he needed one to collect scrap. As a result of that, the vehicle was seized.

“What we have is a young man who was just trying to make an honest living but had not made himself aware of the requirements to do that.”

Defending himself, Waddell said his usual vehicle was temporarily off the road and he had used the Ford “to make some money”.

He admitted it was his fault that he was not driving legally.

Magistrates fined him £500 and ordered him to pay a £200 victim surcharge and £85 court costs – and imposed eight penalty points.