Two men fishing without a licence on a Dorset farm have been fined a total of £886 - when the licences would have cost just £6 each.

Teejay France of Treharris, South Wales, and Nadeem Albaydany, of Bournemouth, were found guilty of fishing without a licence at Coking Farm, Henstridge, near Gillingham on July 2, 2022.

Each was proved guilty in absence on January 3 and ordered to pay a total penalty of £443. The penalties for both men include a fine of £220, costs of £135 and victim surcharge of £88.

Following the case, a 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.

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"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. A 1-day licence costs from just £6, and an annual licence currently costs from just £30, 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.