Three men from the West Midlands have been found guilty of fishing illegally in cases brought by the Environment Agency.
- Fishing without a licence has cost 2 anglers from Stoke on Trent £260 plus costs and victim surcharges
- A Telford man pleaded guilty of fishing without a licence and received a fine of £100 plus costs and victim surcharge
- Fisheries enforcement officers clamp down on illegal angling to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable
Two men from Stoke on Trent and a man from Telford have been found guilty at Northampton Magistrates Court of fishing illegally. The cases brought by the Environment Agency were in court on Monday 18 November 2024.
Stephen Hammersley, 55, of Uttoxeter Road, Stoke on Trent was found guilty in absence of fishing without a licence at Basford Pools, Fenton on 1 June 2024. He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £88.
Stefan Jones, 25, of Paynter Street, Stoke on Trent pleaded guilty of fishing without a licence at Sammies Pool, Fenton on 13 June 2024. He was fined £40 and ordered to pay costs of £45 and a victim surcharge of £16.
Grzegorz Merder, 48, of Coddon Close, Telford pleaded guilty of fishing without a licence at New House Farm, Church Stretton on 1 June 2024. He was fined £100 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £40.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:
We hope the penalties these illegal anglers have 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 1-day licence costs from just £7.10, and an annual licence costs from £35.80 (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.
The charges
Stephen Hammersley was charged with the following offence:
On the 1st day of June 2024 at Basford Pools, Cheddleton, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
Stefan Jones was charged with the following offence:
On the 13th day of June 2024 at Sammies Pool, Fenton, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
Grzegorz Merder was charged with the following offence:
On the 1st day of June 2024 at New House Farm, Church Stretton, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975
