A NEW call for travelling scrap metal dealers to be legally required to carry clearly visible identification signs including a contact number has been made.

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones is seeking support to toughen up the law governing the trade after spotting two unmarked lorries cruising around Baxenden.

They were loaded with metal items, including children’s bicycles, causing the Labour backbencher concern over whether they were properly licensed under a 2013 law.

Mr Jones is concerned that the legislation, inspired by his 2011 Private Members Bill, failed to insist on clear signage leaving a loophole for rogue traders to exploit.

He has been supported by Baxenden Conservative councillor Terry Hurn and Cllr Jim Smith, environment boss of neighbouring Blackburn with Darwen Borough.

He said: “I don’t know whether these vehicles belonged to properly licensed traders or not, but they appeared to be just driving slowly round the area looking for scrap.

“I attempted to get a requirement for every vehicle used by a licensed dealer to carry a clearly visible sign with the name and contact number into the 2013 Act but failed.

“This would be in addition to the small licence plate the size of tax disc the law currently requires.

“This would protect the licensed dealers, of which we have ten in Hyndburn, and protect the public from unwittingly dealing with rogue traders.

“It would also make it easier for the public, the police and the council to tackle unlicensed dealers.

“This is a loophole in the current legislation which needs to be closed.

“I have written to Hyndburn Council and the police seeking support for taking this issue up in Parliament

“We don’t want to slip back to the bad old days of scrap lorries driving round the streets picking up any bits of metal they can lay their hands on.”

Cllr Hurn said: “I think this would be a sensible move to protect licensed traders and deal with illegal ones.”

Cllr Smith said: “We take a tough line on this but clearly visible signs with a name and contact number would really help us enforce the legislation.”

Mr Jones is also to meet with the Electricity Networks Association who backed his original campaign and Bill to discuss further tightening of the legislation.

The Scrap Metal traders Act 2013 requiring all individuals and businesses to complete an enhanced application process to obtain a scrap metal dealer licence from their local authority and created a central public register, hosted by the Environment Agency, of all licensed dealers.