Illegal gambling machines and bypassed water meters were among items seized by the council yesterday.

The swoop by Haringey Borough Council in Phillip Lane, Tottenham, was part of Operation Electrum, an initiative to tackle health and safety and licensing issues.

The gambling machine was seized from a social club which did not have a licence for it and the electricity meters were confiscated from businesses which had illegally and dangerously bypassed them.

Council officers also stopped a driver carrying scrap metal who did not have a waste carrier licence, a document which is required to prove the legitimacy of carriers and ensure they are not fly-tipping or disposing of the waste incorrectly.