Authorised officer: powers of entryN.I.
4.—(1) An authorised officer may enter any premises at any reasonable hour for the purposes of the enforcement of these Regulations.
(2) An authorised officer must, if requested to do so, produce a duly authenticated authorisation document.
(3) An authorised officer may be accompanied by any other persons and any equipment as the authorised officer considers necessary.
(4) If a lay magistrate on sworn information in writing, is satisfied there are reasonable grounds for entry into any premises for the purpose of enforcing these Regulations, and either—
(a)admission to an authorised officer has been refused, or a refusal is expected, and (in either case) that notice of the intention to apply for a warrant has been given to the occupier; or
(b)that an application for admission to the premises, or the giving of such a notice, would defeat the object of the entry; or
(c)that the premises are unoccupied or the occupier is temporarily absent; or
(d)that the case is one of urgency,
the lay magistrate may by signed warrant authorise the authorised officer to enter the premises, if need be by reasonable force.
(5) A warrant granted under paragraph (4) is valid for a period of three months.
(6) An authorised officer who enters, by virtue of this regulation, any premises which are unoccupied or the occupier of which is temporarily absent, must leave them as effectively secured against unauthorised entry as they were before entry.
(7) It is an offence for a person who has obtained confidential information in the course of acting for the purposes of the enforcement of these Regulations to disclose that information, whether it was obtained on premises entered under or by virtue of these Regulations or otherwise, unless the disclosure is made in the performance of that person’s duty or in accordance with section 17(2) of the Anti‑terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001(1).
Commencement Information
I1Reg. 4 in operation at 25.6.2010, see reg. 1(1)