A man has been fined £660 for fishing on Windermere without a licence.
Joshua Tyrie, of Accrington, was prosecuted by the Environment Agency after he took a fishing trip to the Lake District and failed to buy a £30 rod licence.
He was caught by an agency fisheries enforcement officer, who found him on the shore.
Tyrie was told to appear at Carlisle Magistrates Court on Thursday, May 18 but he failed to attend. In his absence, magistrates found him guilty of all charges and Tyrie was ordered to pay A £660 fine, plus £1,010 costs and a £66 victim surcharge.
An annual fishing licence would have cost him just £30 a year.
Following the verdict, Darren Wilson, Environment Agency fisheries enforcement officer, said: “This penalty for one angler is amongst the highest I’ve seen and shows how seriously the courts take these offences.
“We hope the high penalty will act as a deterrent to any angler who is thinking of fishing without a licence.
“All anglers need a valid Environment Agency rod licence. The money raised through the sales of rod licences is reinvested back into the sport and illegal fishing undermines the Environment Agency’s efforts to make fishing sustainable. Anyone found fishing illegally may face prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500.”
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence. A one-day licence costs from £6 and an annual licence costs from £30 (concessions available). Junior licences are free for 13 to 16-year-olds.
