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BIRMINGHAM ANGLER TO PAY £224 FOR FISHING IN CLOSE SEASON

14/11/2023

The angler was caught fishing during the close season by Environment Agency fisheries enforcement officers at Hopyards, near Warwick, on the River Avon. At Northampton magistrates on 23 October 2023, Valentin Boronica, 28, of Bankdale Road, admitted

committing the offence on 7 May 2023.

He was fined £64, ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim’s surcharge of £25.

The annual close season (from March 15 - June 15) prevents fishing for coarse fish in rivers and streams across England, helping to protect fish when they are spawning and supporting vulnerable stocks.

Environment Agency officers conduct patrols to ensure anglers respect this no fishing period.

Following the verdict, Nichola Tomlinson, Fisheries Enforcement Team Leader at the Environment Agency, said: 

“This case shows how seriously the courts take these offences and we hope the high penalties will act as a deterrent to any angler who is thinking of fishing during the close season.

“Our fisheries enforcement team work seven days a week to check on cases of illegal fishing. For those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.” 

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 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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FISHING ILLEGALLY HAS COST TWO ANGLERS FROM EVESHAM ALMOST £600

10/11/2023

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Two men from Evesham, Worcestershire have pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence in June. Their cases remind anglers of the importance of having a licence.
Two men from Evesham, Worcestershire, have been found guilty of fishing illegally in cases brought by the Environment Agency to Northampton Magistrates Court on Monday 23 October.

John Barnett, 51, of Orchard Place, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence on 22 June 2023 at Manor Farm Fishery, Evesham.

He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £247, including a fine of £80, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £32. An annual fishing licence currently costs from £33.

Darius Dee, 21, of Ellison Close, also pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence on 22 June 2023 at Manor Farm Fishery, Evesham.
He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £339, including a fine of £146, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £58.

Following the verdict, Nichola Tomlinson, Fisheries Enforcement Team Leader for the Environment Agency, said:

“This case shows how seriously the courts take these offences and both men have been rightly punished for fishing without a licence.

“We hope the cases act as a reminder to anglers of the importance of having a rod licence before they go fishing and deter them from fishing illegally.
“All of the money raised from rod licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries for the benefit of anglers. For those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.”

Every year across the country, thousands of anglers are prosecuted for not having a fishing licence. As well as cheating other anglers, fishing illegally can carry a hefty penalty. Getting caught without a licence could land a fine of up to £2,500.

Income from rod licence sales is used to fund Environment Agency work to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries, including improving habitats for fish and facilities for anglers, tackling illegal fishing and working with partners to encourage people to give fishing a go.

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 £6.60, and an annual licence costs from £33 (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.

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PENALTIES OF ALMOST £1,000 FOR FRIENDS FOUND FISHING ILLEGALLY

6/11/2023

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A day’s fishing trip has cost two friends from Stafford a total penalty of £998 when both were found fishing in the close season and one had no licence to fish. The anglers’ cases were brought by the Environment Agency to Northampton Magistrates Court on Monday 23 October.

One of the friends, Liam Davidson, 26, of Milton Grove, Stafford, was proved guilty in absence of fishing in the close season at Doxey Marshes, Stafford on 27 May 2023. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £443. The penalty includes a fine of £220, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £88. 

Blake Keyte, 24, of Greensome Court, Stafford pleaded guilty of fishing in the close season and to fishing without a licence at Doxey Marshes on 27 May 2023. He was ordered to pay fines of £150 for each offence, £135 costs, and a victim surcharge of £88, to make a total penalty of £555.

An annual fishing licence currently costs from £33. The coarse fish close season runs from 15 March until 15 June each year.

Following the verdict, 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 £6.60, and an annual licence costs from £33 (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.

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'RAW SEWAGE' STENCH IN RIVER SEVERN LEAVES BRIDGNORTH ANGLERS HOLDING THEIR NOSE

2/11/2023

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Anglers at a fishing competition in Bridgnorth on Sunday were among those left holding their nose, when the smell of "raw sewage" on the River Severn followed heavy rain at the weekend. Severn Trent Water said it is investigating after complaints emerged in both Ironbridge and Bridgnorth over the weekend over a "frothy substance" on the surface of the river and a "terrible smell" emanating from the water.

Brian Preece, chairman of the Bridgnorth Angling Society, said while they did not have to call a halt to their club match along the river on Sunday, many of the visiting anglers had complained about the stench.

He said: "We have been getting it for a few years now and for those of us that regularly fish along Bridgnorth we are used to it, but we did get a lot of complaints from some of the visiting anglers on Sunday about the terrible smell.

"It was a members match. We had about 32 taking part and those fishing in Highley reported seeing 'slabs of foam' floating down the river, and the smell was very obvious on the riverbank.

"Whenever there is heavy rain we know that it is going to result in sewage in the river - it happens all the time."

Anglers were not the only ones to notice something amiss on the Severn at the weekend. Residents in Ironbridge noticed "froth" on the surface of the river on Sunday morning.

John Fletcher said: "I was walking the dog down by the river at Dale End Park, Ironbridge, on Sunday morning. There seemed to be a lot of white frothy stuff flowing down the river.

"I actually thought it was some sort of froth. After closer inspection it turns out it was raw sewage and so much of it - the flow went on for a while, in fact was still going on after I left.

"Something needs to be done. It is disgusting, whoever is responsible for this."

A spokesman for Severn Trent Water said the water company was investigating whether "the substance that the residents have reported seeing might have been related to any of our assets".

He added that the river is "relatively fast-moving and the heavy rain that we saw over the weekend could have resulted in any number of things washing into the river".

The news comes after the water company announced that water bills are set to rise from £1.15 a day, to £1.42 a day by 2030 as Severn Trent invests nearly £13 billion in its infrastructure, including a pledge to clean up the region's rivers.

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BIRMINGHAM ANGLER TO PAY £224 FOR FISHING IN CLOSE SEASON

FISHING ILLEGALLY HAS COST TWO ANGLERS FROM EVESHAM ALMOST £600

PENALTIES OF ALMOST £1,000 FOR FRIENDS FOUND FISHING ILLEGALLY

'RAW SEWAGE' STENCH IN RIVER SEVERN LEAVES BRIDGNORTH ANGLERS HOLDING THEIR NOSE

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