An illegal angler caught flouting fishing rules has been handed court bills topping £1,100 over a £35 error. John Smith was prosecuted by the Environment Agency after he failed to get a rod licence which costs as little as £35.80 a year.
And a one-day licence costs even less at just £7.10. The case was originally proved in Smith’s absence on August 30 2023. The defendant then applied to have the case re-opened by Statutory Declaration and submitted a not guilty plea.
But Smith, of Young Avenue, Stafford, did not attend the trial and the case was again proved in absence at Cannock Magistrates Court on December 16 last year.
It comes after the 60-year-old was caught at Chorley Springs, Burntwood, Staffordshire on April 23 2023. He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs of £836.50 and a victim surcharge of £88.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We hope the penalty this illegal angler has received will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws 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 one-day licence costs from just £7.10, and an annual licence costs from £35.80. Junior licences are free for 13 to 16-year-olds.
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.
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