A BOURNEMOUTH man has been fined £336 for fishing without a licence and failing to state his name and address when asked to do so by the water bailiff.

Lewis Pudwell, of Queens Park West Drive, was caught on February 24 at Little Canford Ponds, Wimborne, in a place where fishing is regulated for freshwater fish or eels.

He was also ordered to pay £127 costs following prosecution by the Environment Agency.

Richard Battersby of the Environment Agency said: “The majority of anglers fish legally. The minority of anglers that fail to buy a fishing licence are cheating their fellow anglers and the future of the sport.

“An annual licence costs just £30. Anglers risk significant fines and costs, a criminal conviction and the loss of their fishing equipment for such a small fee that gets used to enhance angling and fisheries habitat improvement works.”

Money from fishing licence sales is invested in England’s fisheries and is used to fund a wide range of projects to improve facilities for anglers, including protecting stocks from illegal fishing, pollution and disease, restoring fish stocks and eradicating invasive species. Apply for a licence at gov.uk