More than 30 lorry and van drivers were pulled over during a crackdown on a waste crime.

Driver and vehicle checks were carried out in the car park in Morrisons in Borehamwood this week in an operation by the Environment Agency.

Drivers had their vehicles and paperwork inspected to check that everything was in order - but 90 per cent of the drivers stopped either had missing or incomplete paperwork or were not registered properly to transport waste.

Hannah Wooldridge, a senior technical officer for the Environment Agency in Hertfordshire, said:

"The results from our latest checks on lorries and vans in Hertfordshire prove the worth of finding out if drivers and operators are working within the law when carrying waste on board.

"We want to make it very clear to people that everyone has a duty of care to ensure their waste is managed and disposed of correctly by the people they give it to.

"If you use illegal waste carriers to take away your rubbish, you risk being fined up to £5,000. You need to check they are a registered waste carrier with the Environment Agency and they must provide you with a waste transfer note proving where they are taking the waste."

Any van or lorry moving waste commercially should be registered by law to ensure it is disposed of correctly, or be subject to further action by the agency.

The purpose of the checks is to reduce and disrupt waste crime, and prevent dangerous vehicles from being on the road.

Mick Cheeseman, a traffic enforcement manager for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), said:

"DVSA’s priority is to protect everyone from unsafe drivers and vehicles.

"There’s no excuse for driving with mechanical defects or with an overweight or insecure load. Those on Hertfordshire’s roads who break the rules are putting themselves and others at risk.

"Working alongside our colleagues in the Environment Agency, we’ll crack down on rogue drivers and operators, making Hertfordshire’s roads safer for all."

The operation in Borehamwood was carried out in partnership with Hertfordshire Constabulary and Hertsmere Borough Council.

People or businesses who transport, buy, sell or dispose of waste, or arrange for someone else to do so, must be registered. To register, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/waste-carrier-or-broker-registration.

To check if someone is registered, please visit: https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers.