A motor salvage operator carries on business that consists:
a) wholly or partly in the recovery for re-use or sale of salvageable parts from motor vehicles and the subsequent sale or other disposal for scrap of the remainder of the vehicles concerned; b) wholly or mainly in the purchase of written-off vehicles and their subsequent repair and re-sale; c) wholly or mainly in the sale or purchase of motor vehicles which are to be the subject (whether immediately or on a subsequent re-sale) of any of the activities mentioned in (a) or (b); or d) wholly or mainly in activities falling within paragraphs (b) and (c)
Motor salvage operators will not be able to carry out their business unless they have registered with the Council. It is an offence to operate a motor salvage business that has not been registered. Summary conviction of this offence may lead to a fine of up to £5,000.
Motor salvage operators may also need to register as a Scrap Metal Dealer as well.
How do you make an application?
Application forms to register a motor salvage operation within the Borough of Spelthorne are available on request by contacting the Pollution Control team, or they are available to download below:
In deciding whether to approve registration, the Council must be satisfied that the applicant is a 'fit and proper' person. The procedures for this mean that each applicant must be present, with photographic identification, for submission of the completed application, information is required on any prior convictions and a police check is undertaken
We need to know about various unspent convictions related to vehicle crime. The following will also be taken into account:
details of any undischarged bankruptcy of the applicant or any directors or partners of the applicant business; and
information provided by the police (which must be disclosed to the applicant).
How long does the registration last? Registration is valid for three years starting from the date that the entry is made in the Council's register. If an operator wishes to continue their motor salvage activities, they must submit a valid application for the renewal of the registration to the local Council before cessation of the existing registration period. If an application is not received by this date, they are deemed to have ceased operations. Any operation after this period without making another licence application is an offence and upon summary conviction may lead to a fine of up to £5,000.
Is there a fee to register? A fee of £131.25 is payable by the applicant on the submission of an application seeking registration. The fee has been set to recover the costs incurred by the processing the application for registration of the premise.
Why is motor salvage regulated? The Motor Salvage Operator Regulations 2002 were introduced to make it more difficult for criminals to dispose of stolen vehicles. After registering a business, the information is passed to Surrey Police who may then enter and search the premises without a warrant. Any premises suspected of being a motor salvage operator may be entered and searched by the police once a warrant has been obtained.
Motor salvage operator register The information contained within the register is readily available to the public and may be viewed Monday to Friday during normal office hours at: -
Spelthorne Borough Council Knowle Green Staines TW18 1XB
There is no charge for accessing the public register, however, there is a charge for the provision of certified copies of an entry on the register of £10 per copy (up to a maximum of 5 copies). A fee of 20 pence per copy may be made for provision of non-certified copies of an entry on the register.
External links For further information on motor salvage operator regulations click on the crime reduction logo below
