Angler catches ?389 penalty while fishing in Shropshire

David Norman, 36, had a rod licence to fish using up to 2 rods. But he received a penalty of ?389 for fishing without the correct licence to cover the number of rods he was fishing with at Marchamley Pool on 21 May.

The case was brought by the Environment Agency to Northampton Magistrates Court on Monday 26 September. The penalty of ?389 includes a fine of ?220, costs of ?135 and a victim surcharge of ?34.

Nichola Tomlinson, Fisheries Enforcement Team Leader at the Environment Agency, said:

David Norman has been rightly punished for fishing illegally in Hodnet, Shropshire in May this year. This case shows how seriously the courts take these offences and we hope the high penalty will act as a deterrent to any angler who is thinking of fishing without a licence.

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, to check on cases of illegal fishing.