THREE anglers – including one from Warrington – have been prosecuted by the Environment Agency in a crackdown on people fishing without a licence.

Magistrates in Warrington sentenced the trio following three separate offences of using unlicensed fishing equipment.

The use of unlicensed equipment is illegal under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.

Warrington Magistrates’ Court heard how George Roberts, aged 49 and of Rylands Drive in Orford, was found guilty in his absence of using an unlicensed rod and line at Grassworth Fisheries in Macclesfield on August 24 last year.

The same court also prosecuted Allen Wood, aged 52 and of Clarence Avenue, Knott End-on-Sea, near Fleetwood, for fishing with unlicensed fishing equipment on August 12 at nearby Alkali Waters.

Both men were ordered to pay a fine of £220, court costs of £135 and a statutory victim surcharge of £88, meaning both had total penalties of £443.

In addition, Winston Donnelly, aged 22 and of Bangor Avenue in Bispham, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to fishing for freshwater eels or fish with unlicensed fishing equipment, namely a rod and line.

The offence occurred in the regulated fishing area of Glass Lake in Blackpool.

Donnelly was ordered to pay a total of £333, broken down into a fine of £142, court costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £56.

The sentences were welcomed by Chris Bishop, team leader for the fisheries operations team at the Environment Agency.

He said: “We hope the penalties these anglers have received sends out a message to others that fishing illegally is taken seriously, and those who flout the law can expect to face enforcement action.

“It is important for us to secure these penalties to deter people from fishing without a licence.

“We want to ensure anglers that we will work hard to protect fish stocks, so that those with licenses can continue to enjoy fishing for many years to come”.

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 overfishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence to fish.

A one-day licence costs from £6.60, while an annual licence costs from £33, with concessions available. Junior licences are free for 13 to 16-year-olds.

Licences are available from 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 activity 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 any information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency incident hotline 24/7 on 0800 807060, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.