THREE unlicensed anglers have landed a combined court bill totalling more than £1,200.

The men were charged at Swindon Magistrates’ Court earlier this month with unlicensed fishing under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act.

Teejay France, 23 and from Treharris in Merthyr Tydfil, and Nadeem Albaydany, 34 and from Bournemouth, both faced charges relating to illegal fishing in north Dorset.

Harris and Albaydany were found to have used an unlicenced rod and line at Coking Farm, near Gillingham, on July 2 of last year. Neither man turned up for the court hearing the offences were found proven in their absence.

Both were ordered to pay a fine of £220, costs of £135 and a surcharge of £88 to fund victim services.

The Environment Agency said a one day licence would have cost just £6 - instead of a court bill of £443 each.

In a separate case, George Cooper, 39 and from Ringwood, was found guilty of fishing without a licence at Hightown Lake, in Ringwood, on May 31 of last year.

His case was found proven guilty in absence and ordered to pay a fine of £220, costs of £185 and a surcharge of £35.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: These anglers have been rightly punished for the illegal fishing they undertook last summer.  They could have bought a one-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 bylaws 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 to check on cases of illegal fishing.

“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.”