Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Theft definition

What does Theft mean? In practice, theft describes the criminal taking or assumption of another’s property with the purpose of keeping it. In England and Wales (Theft Act 1968, s 1) and Northern Ireland (Theft Act (Northern Ireland) 1969, s 1), the offence is committed where a person dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it. Subsequent provisions define key elements, including “appropriation” (assumption of any owner’s rights, which can occur even with consent), “property” (money, personal property and things in action, with limited exceptions), and intention to permanently deprive (including treating property...

Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 (England and Wales): Offences, Licensing, Enforcement Powers and Sentencing

Published by a LexisNexis Corporate Crime expert

Practice notes

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and is not being maintained.

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 (SMDA 2013) governs the buying and selling of scrap metal and seeks to deter large-scale cable and metal Theft. The Home Office assessed that there were 80,000–100,000 reported metal theft offences each year, imposing a minimum economic cost of £220–£260m. SMDA 2013 introduced an updated regulatory framework for the scrap metal recycling sector and vehicle dismantling, covering licensing for scrap metal dealer businesses and creating offences connected to operating such a business.

Paying in cash for scrap metal

Section 12 of SMDA 2013 makes it an offence to purchase scrap metal using cash. The rule applies to all scrap metal dealers. Under section 12, dealers must not pay for scrap except by cheque or electronic transfer. The dealer, the site manager, and any person acting on the dealer’s behalf who makes the payment are all within the scope of this offence...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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