NEW rules on spare electrical goods could cause major difficulties for small companies in Huntingdonshire, business leaders say. The Government has launched a consultation on the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), which require

NEW rules on spare electrical goods could cause major difficulties for small companies in Huntingdonshire, business leaders say.

The Government has launched a consultation on the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), which requires businesses to take back electronic goods for recycling or contribute to the cost of new collection facilities.

The directive will affect anyone who manufactures, sells, imports or exports electrical equipment, as well as retailers of those products, said Malcolm Lyons, Huntingdonshire chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses.

"We're pleased that there is a full consultation on this directive because it could cause monumental damage to small retailers if the Government gets the implementation wrong.

"It is unfortunate that there is no exemption for the very smallest businesses, which can ill afford the expense and bureaucracy involved in taking back unwanted electrical goods.

"The last thing small business needs is another expensive, bureaucratic tangle. We hope that it won't come to that.