Registration of Motor Salvage Operator
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Phone: | 024 7637 6405 | |
Fax: | 024 7637 6214 | |
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Service Unit: | Environmental Health | |
Motor Salvage Operators Registration
Vehicle crime is cited as one of the largest single categories of recorded crime. The Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001 was introduced for this reason in order to reduce the rising tide of vehicle crime by reducing the opportunities to dispose of stolen vehicles.
Motor salvage operators are required to:
- Register with the council in whose area they are operating.
- Maintain appropriate records of all vehicle purchases and disposals.
- Carry out full identification checks of vendors and purchasers.
- Allow the police (and other investigators) the right of entry to the premises and the right to search (a warrant is not required for police to enter a registered premises).
The motor salvage operator may not 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 £5000.
For the purposes of the Act, a person is deemed to be carrying on a business as a motor salvage operator if they carry out a business, which consists:
- 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;
- wholly or mainly in the purchases of written-off vehicles, and their subsequent repair and re-sale;
- wholly or mainly in the sale or purchase of motor vehicles which are to be the subject (whether immediately or on subsequent re-sale) of any of the activities in the first and second points;
- wholly or mainly in activities falling within the second and third points.
Period of registration
Registration of a motor salvage operation is valid for three years, commencing from the date that the entry was made in the council's "Register of Motor Salvage Operators". Motor salvage operators must submit an application to renew their registration before it expires, failing to do this will require operations to be interrupted. An operator will cease to be registered if they have not made an application for renewal of their existing registration.
Determination of registration
In deciding whether to approve registration, the council must be satisfied that the applicant is a "fit and proper" person, taking into account various unspent convictions, including the offences of:
- Theft or attempted theft of, or from, a motor vehicle - contrary to Section 1 of the Theft Act 1968.
- Taking a motor vehicle without consent - contrary to Section 12 of the Theft Act 1968.
- Aggravated vehicle taking - contrary to Section 12A of the Theft Act 1968.
- Handling stolen goods - contrary to section 22 of the Theft Act 1968.
- Going equipped to steal or take a motor vehicle - contrary to Section 25 of the Theft Act 1968.
- Interference with a motor vehicle - contrary to Section 9 of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981.
- Tampering with a motor vehicle, contrary to Section 25 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
- Convictions for offences under Part 1 of the Vehicle Crimes Act 2001
Register of licences
Details of licensed motor salvage operators can be found in the document below
How to Apply
Fees
The fee for a motor salvage operator’s licence is £105 and can be paid electronically via Worldpay or cheque payable to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council
Operator licences are valid for 3 years.
Applications are made via the ELMS Website link
