A man who was caught fishing without a licence at Walthamstow Reservoirs was ordered to pay a £329 fine in court
A man who was caught fishing without a licence at Walthamstow Reservoirs was ordered to pay a £329 fine at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court last month as part of an Environment Agency crackdown on illegal fishing in London.
At the 8th January court hearing, Ciprian Buta, 38, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Walthamstow Reservoirs on 17th June 2024. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £329. The penalty includes a fine of £146, costs of £125 and a victim surcharge of £58.
Five other anglers were also found guilty of fishing illegally at waters in other parts of London, with the the six offenders ordered to pay a total of £2,182 in fines and charges.
Richard Tyner, area fisheries team leader at the Environment Agency, said: “We hope the penalties these six illegal anglers have 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 can incur a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. We inspect rod licences 24/7, 7 days a week to check on cases of illegal fishing and for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.
“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 legal anglers.”
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence to fish. A one-day licence costs £7.10, and an annual licence currently costs £35.80. Junior licences are free for 13 – 16-year-olds.
Licences are available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday
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