A Tottenham man has become the first in the borough to be prosecuted under strict new laws governing scrap metal collection.

Busuioc Dumitru, 28, of Park Lane, has been fined £800 for not logging every item of scrap metal he collected from people’s gardens.

The law, brought into force last year, requires collectors to keep records of where and when they picked up the metal, along with who gave it to them.

Mr Dumitru was stopped in Seven Sisters Road last March as part of a joint operation between the council, police and immigration officers.

Although his fine for the offence amounted to only £80, he was ordered to pay full costs of a trial at Tottenham Magistrates, amounting to £735, along with a victim surcharge of £20.

Councillor Stuart McNamara, cabinet member for environment, said: “These new rules were brought in to put a stop to people making money from stolen scrap metal, theft of which often causes disruption and can cost communities dear. 

Unfortunately, it has also cost Mr Dumitru too as – while he may have been doing everything legitimately – he failed to keep the vital records that are needed.”