- Fishing without a licence has cost anglers from Staffordshire and the West Midlands total penalties of £631
- All cases heard at Northampton Magistrates Court on 13 February 2023
Two men from the West Midlands and one from Staffordshire have been found guilty of fishing illegally on separate occasions last year. Their cases were brought by the Environment Agency to Northampton Magistrates Court on Monday 13 February.
Matthew Hutton, 26, from Hardings Wood, Kidsgrove, Stoke on Trent, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Rudyard Lake, Leek on 22 October 2022. He pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a total penalty of £201. The penalty includes a fine of £83, costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £33.
In a separate case Paul Hunt, 37, from Winchester Drive, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Barston Lake, Solihull on 14 September 2022. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £141, including a fine of £40, costs of £85, and a victim surcharge of £16.
Jagdev Rana, 26, from Bradfield Way, Dudley, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Wilden Fishery, Kidderminster on 8 October 2022. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £289, including a fine of £146, costs of £85, and a victim surcharge of £58.
Nichola Tomlinson, Fisheries Enforcement Team Leader at the Environment Agency, said:
We hope the penalties the illegal anglers have received will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws and byelaws we have in place across England.
Fishing illegally can incur a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. We inspect rod licences 24/7, 7 days a week to check on cases of illegal fishing and for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.
Illegal fishing undermines the Environment Agency's efforts to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable. Money raised from fishing licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries for the benefit of legal anglers.
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence to fish. A 1-day licence costs from just £6, and an annual licence currently costs from just £30 (concessions available). Junior licences are free for 13 - 16-year-olds.
Licences are available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all year round and is supported by partners including the police and the Angling Trust. Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.
Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency incident hotline 24/7 on 0800 807060 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Background
Matthew Hutton was charged with the following offence:
On the 22nd day of October 2022 at Rudyard Lake, Leek, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
Paul Hunt was charged with the following offence:
On the 14th day of September 2022 at Barston Lake, Berkswell, Solihull Pools, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicenced fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
Jagdev Rana was charged with the following offence:
On the 8th day of October 2022 at Wilden Fishery, Kidderminster, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicenced fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
