Two men from Pontefract and Wakefield in West Yorkshire handed fines for illegal fishing

Tom Coates
By Tom Coates
Published 22nd Jan 2023, 11:45 BST
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Two men from West Yorkshire have been handed fines for illegal fishing.

Five men from across Yorkshire had cases relating to illegal fishing heard at Hull and Holderness Magistrates’ Court on January 4 and among them were two men from West Yorkshire. Matthew Simpson, of Willow Park in Pontefract, was found guilty of fishing without a licence at Stubbs Hall in Hemsworth on July 28 last year and ordered to pay a total penalty of £443. This total consisted of a fine of £220, costs of £135 and an £88 victim surcharge.

Meanwhile, Curt Chapman of Ester Grove in Wakefield was found guilty of fishing without a licence at Birkwood Farm Lake in Wakefield on July 5 last year. He was also given a total penalty of £443 made up of an identical fine, costs and victim surcharge to Matthew Simpson. Fishing illegally with a rod and line can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized.

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Paul Caygill, Environment Agency fisheries enforcement officer, said: “These five anglers have been rightly punished for the illegal fishing they undertook last summer, and the cases show how seriously the courts take these offences. We hope the penalties 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 with a rod and line can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. Image: Peter Summers/Getty ImagesFishing illegally with a rod and line can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. Image: Peter Summers/Getty Images
Fishing illegally with a rod and line can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. Image: Peter Summers/Getty Images

“Illegal fishing undermines the Environment Agency’s efforts to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable.  Money raised from licence sales is re-invested back into the sport and, for those caught cheating the system, we will not hesitate to prosecute.”

The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work with support from partners such as the police and the Angling Trust. The enforcement work is funded by income generated by the sale of rod licences and is intelligence-led, meaning there is a focus on known hotspots and locations where there have been reports of illegal fishing.

Any angler above the age of 13 who fishes on a river, stream, drain, canal or in still water needs a licence to do so. One-day licences cost £6 and annual licences come at a cost of £30, meanwhile junior licences for children aged between 13 and 16 are free. Licences can be secured on the government website.