- Fishing without a licence in Yeovil, Somerset has cost an angler from Coventry a total penalty of £360
- Another angler from Nuneaton received a total penalty of £255 for fishing without a licence on the same day and location
- Fisheries enforcement officers clamp down on illegal angling to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable
A man from Exhall, Coventry who pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence, has received a penalty of £360 for a day's fishing in Yeovil, Somerset.
A woman from Nuneaton who also pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at the same location has received a penalty of £255. A day's fishing licence would have cost each of them £7.10.
Their cases were brought by the Environment Agency at Swindon Magistrates Court on 28 March 2024.
One of the anglers, Mark Varney, 51, of Grant Road, Exhall, Coventry was found to be fishing without a licence at Pavyotts Mill Lakes on 1 October 2025. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £360, including a fine of £207, costs of £70 and a victim surcharge of £83.
Magdalena Maslak, 48, of Cedar Road, Nuneaton was also fishing without a licence at the same location on the same day. She was ordered to pay a total penalty of £255, including a fine of £132, £70 costs, and a victim surcharge of £38.
Following the verdicts, a spokesperson at the Environment Agency, said:
"We hope the penalties that these 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, seven 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 £7.10, and an annual licence costs from £35.80 (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.
