Two men fined for illegal fishing near Gillingham
They didn't have a licence to fish at Henstridge last July
Two men have been fined a total of over £880 for fishing illegally near Gillingham.
Teejay France of Treharris, South Wales, and Nadeem Albaydany, of Bournemouth, were found guilty of fishing without a licence at Coking Farm, Henstridge in 2 July 2022.
They've been prosecuted by the Environment Agency and sentenced in their absence at Swindon Magistrates Court.
Each of them have been ordered to pay a total penalty of £443 - that's a fine of £220, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £88.
Following the case, the local Fisheries Enforcement Officer at the Environment Agency, said:
“These anglers have been rightly punished for the illegal fishing they undertook last summer. They could have bought a 1-day rod licence to fish for just £6.
“We hope the penalties received by the illegal anglers 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.
“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 anglers and, for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.”
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence to fish. |newtab)
A 1-day licence costs from just £6, and an annual licence currently costs from just £30, while junior licences are free for 13 to 16-year-olds.