If you’re putting your skip entirely on private land, you don’t need a permit at all. For those of us who don’t have the luxury of our own estate, however, things are a bit more complicated. There are several regulations to follow if you don’t want to find yourself with a fine of up to £1,000.
In many cases, the company that you hire a skip from will be able to get the licence for you from the local council, but it doesn’t work this way in every area. You need to check when you are talking to the skip hire company. Keep in mind that these regulations also apply to hippo bags and other big rubble bags.
Restrictions and safety measures
The skip, even if it’s actually one of the smaller hippo bags, isn’t allowed on the pavement and has to go on the road. Even once you’ve put it on the road, you’re still responsible for ensuring that people and cars can clearly see it. Also, you need to make sure that the skip is not causing an obstruction – for example, by being placed on a corner so that people can’t see round it and are at risk of walking into oncoming traffic.
Traffic cones are a good idea to draw motorists’ attention to the fact that there is an obstruction in the road. A good skip hire company will make sure that their name and contact number is prominently displayed on the skip.
A skip that is easy to see in daylight may become a hazard at night, especially if you live in an area where there isn’t a lot of street lighting. In any case, even in urban areas, street lights are turned off or dimmed in the middle of the night, so you’ll need reflective markings that will show up in a car’s headlights and night-time lamps for safety if possible.
Council restrictions
In Swansea skip hire like that at http://pendragoncarmarthenshire.co.uk/ is subject to some further regulations. Skips have to be covered and locked, and only two skips per permit are allowed.
Be sure to watch the time limit as the permit lasts 28 days. If you need a further two days, for example, you’ll have to pay for another 28-day period!