Skip licences (skip permits)

The Highways Act 1980 mandates that a skip should not be placed on the public highway without obtaining a licence from the Highway Authority, the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. The placing of a skip on the public highway poses a nuisance and potential danger to highway users, particularly to partially sighted, blind and vulnerable members of the public.

For this reason a skip is not permitted on the public highway unless prior approval is granted in the form of a licence and the skip company is registered.

The following guidance has been put together in order to help you gain a greater understanding of the Council’s position.

What is classed as a public highway?

'Public Highway' in this instance is defined as a footway, verge, carriageway or public right of way between the boundaries of private property which could be adopted or un-adopted.

Private land is excluded. Unfortunately, on occasions where a skip is placed on private land adjacent to the public highway, the Council do not have any powers to enforce removal.

If the ownership of land is disputed the ‘alleged’ owner will be asked to provide evidence to the contrary to that recorded by the definitive Highway Record and / or Land Registry.

Please note that un-adopted highway may show that you have ownership on the title deeds however; the existence of a public highway on this land supersedes any land ownership rights (ie the Highway Authority has precedence in legal consideration of activities in the highway land over the land owner).

Under Section 31 of the Highways Act the designation of highway may also arise from the use of land for an uninterrupted period of 20 years. Therefore the Council may consider that land which has not formally been dedicated or adopted is appropriately designated as highway.

Which laws and legislation allow the Council to licence and enforce skips?

The following laws and legislation allow the Council to licence and enforce skips:

• Highways Act 1980, Section 139 - Control of builders skips.
• Highways Act 1980, Section 140 - Removal of builders skips.
• Highways Act 1980, Section 140A - Builders skips: charge for occupation of highway
• Highways Act 1980, Section 140B - Builders skips: charge determined by reference to duration of occupation of highway
• Highways Act 1980, Section 140C - Regulations under sections 140A and 140B

How do I register my skip company?

The City of Bradford Metropolitan Council requests that all skip companies operating within the district register with the Authority. This is as a result of a number of safety issues involving skips causing a danger to the public as well as difficulties in obtaining payment for skip licences.

In order to register your skip company you should download and complete the registration form (Word, 45 Kb).

As part of the registration process you will be asked to provide the following details:

• registered name of the company
• registered address of the company
• name of the company owner
• address of the company owner
• name of the company as it appears on the skip
• Companies House Registration Number
• VAT Reference Number
• Public liability insurance
• Environment Agency Waste Carriers Licence
• VOSA Goods Vehicle Operators Licence

Once complete the form should be returned to:

Network Resilience and Management
Department of Place
4th Floor Britannia House
Hall Ings
Bradford
BD1 1HX

Email: [email protected]

All registered companies operating within the district will be displayed on the council’s website.

Registration should be renewed on an annual basis.

With effect from 31 January 2015; any skip company not registered with the Council will be refused licences to place skips of the public highway.

How does a skip company request a licence to place a skip on the highway?

If you run a skip company and wish to request a licence to place a skip on the public highway you must give the Council at least one days’ notice prior to its placement.

Please note: contacting the Council at the same time as placing the skip is not considered as providing enough notice and a licence may not be issued as a result.

Request a skip licence

Skip licence application guidelines

Processing hours

Skip licence requests are processed:

• Monday to Thursday: 9am to 5pm
• Friday: 9am to 4pm

Weekend deliveries

If you plan to deliver a skip over the weekend, the licence request must be submitted via email by the preceding Friday. Requests will be processed on the following Monday morning or earlier when possible.

Application requirements

When submitting a skip licence request, please include:

• The exact location and address where the skip will be placed
• The duration the skip will remain on-site.

Compliance monitoring

Council officers regularly inspect skips on public highways to ensure a valid licence is in place.

Penalties for non-compliance

Skips placed on public highways without prior approval will incur a fine.

• Illegal Skips and Associated Penalties
• Fines for Illegal Skips:
  Skips placed on public highways without proper authorization are subject to additional fines.

Further information

To learn more about what constitutes an illegal skip, refer to what is an illegal skip?

For details on fine amounts, visit Statutory fees.

How long is a skip licensed for?

Skips are licensed for a period of 14 working days with the following exceptions:

Exception	Licensing period
On carriageways less than 4.5m wide kerb to kerb	5 working days, timed to waste collections
Within the city centre area (bounded by the inner ring road A6181 and A650	5 working days
On sections of the West Yorkshire Key Route Network in Bradford District (List to be supplied to skip companies)	7 working days
Full Skips	Immediate Removal on request

Other time restrictions can be applied at the discretion of the Highway Authority.

What is an illegal skip?

The Highways Act mandates that a skip must be:

• properly lighted during the hours of darkness and, where regulations made by the Secretary of State under this section require it to be marked in accordance with the regulations (whether with reflecting or fluorescent material or otherwise), that it is so marked
• clearly and indelibly marked with the owner’s name and with their telephone number or address
• removed as soon as practicable after it has been filled

Any skip that does not comply with the above is unlawful and can be removed by the authority. A fine will issued to the skip company for non-compliant skips.

For more information on the cost of a fine please see Statutory fees.

Are there any other conditions regarding the placing of a skip on the highway?

The following conditions apply to the placing of a skip on the public highway:

• Skips should be placed on the carriageway, parallel to the kerb line, in a manner that does not obstruct the passage of vehicles or pedestrians and that allows for appropriate sight lines to be maintained.
• Skips should not be placed in no loading zones, bus stop clearways, bus lanes, on double yellow lines or on zigzag approaches to crossings.
• Where a skip is placed on a block paved, or flagged area, suitable protection to the surface in the form of plywood sheets (or similarly approved) should be laid prior to the skip being placed.
• Skips within the city centre have additional criteria over and above that required by the Highways Act. In this instance the skip should:
  • Be closed and lockable.
  • Be delivered before 8am and not removed until after 5.30pm
  • Placed on plywood sheet boarding to prevent damage to surfaces.
  • Have their exact location agreed with a member of the Network Resilience and Management team in writing.
  • Deliveries must comply with the City Centre Access policy.

If a skip does not meet the above specified criteria, it will be deemed illegal. As a result, the skip company responsible will be issued with a fine.

How can I report a skip that I believe does not have a licence or is illegal?

The Council endeavours to deal with any non-licensed or non-compliant skips as soon as reasonably possible but, if you see what you believe to be a non-licensed or an illegal skip on the highway the quickest and easiest way to report it to us is by calling the Council's Contact Centre on 01274 431000.

How will enforcement action be taken?

The following procedure will be followed if an illegal or non-compliant skip is found on the public highway:

• A Council officer will visit the site where photographic evidence will be obtained along with other details such as identifying marks, the siting of it, name of the skip company and contact number.
• The skip company will be issued a fine accordingly.
• The skip company will be asked to remove the skip from the highway within a given time frame and / or where applicable, request and pay for a retrospective licence (this is in addition to the fine).
• If there are no clear markings identifying the skip owner, a Council Officer will request a statement from the individual believed to have ordered the skip (this may be a resident or business). If the responsible skip company cannot be identified, the person who ordered the skip will be held liable for any fines and, if necessary, will be required to apply for a retrospective licence.
• If a company places five or more skips on the highway consecutively without obtaining a licence or paying the retrospective fees, the Council will initiate legal proceedings against them.
• If a skip is deemed dangerous (at the discretion of the officer), it will be removed as soon as possible, regardless of ownership. The skip will be stored for up to 28 days, and the owner will be informed that it can be collected within this time.

Please note that if the skip is located on private land, enforcement action cannot be taken.

Who will carry out the enforcement action?

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is the Highway Authority as defined under the Highways Act 1980 and therefore has a statutory duty to ensure that the highway, comprising of roads and pavements, is kept safe and free from obstruction.

As a result, enforcement action will be undertaken by the Council's Network Resilience and Management Team who are a part of the Planning, Transportation and Highways Service which forms part of the Department of Place.

Fees and charges to skip companies

For more information on fees and charges, please visit Statutory fees page

Item	Fee
Non-compliant skips In circumstances where a skip is found to be non-compliant. Administrative costs incurred in recording the issue and contacting the skip company requesting remedial actions.	£125
Release of an impounded skip In some circumstances the Council will have to remove skips. This fee covers storage of the skip and officers' time spent dealing with the recovery.	£425
Waste disposal charges Should a skip have rubbish in it that it not safe to store on site, additional charges of £120 per tonne will be payable.	£145

How can I reclaim a confiscated skip?

The cost of removing the skip will be calculated on a case-by-case basis and will be determined by the contractors’ removal fee, tipping fee, any storage costs and administration fee. Cost will be recovered via invoice, payable within 30 days.

We will liaise with individuals directly to arrange collection of the skip.

Where can I find details of registered skips?

Along with information about roadworks and scaffolding on the highway, all registered skips are displayed on our online map and our roadworks and highways map, typically within 30 minutes of the application being logged.

Residents or businesses who have ordered a skip, or anyone who notices a skip on the highway, can use these maps to check if it has a licence and how long it is expected to remain there. The Council and utility companies can also use the maps to locate skips when planning or carrying out work on the highway.