Yeovil man gets illegal fishing fine
A Yeovil man has pleaded guilty to 3 counts of illegal fishing at Swindon Magistrates Court. On 1 December 2021, fisheries officers were on patrol at Coking Farm fishery near Henstridge in South Somerset. They discovered Mr Reid Mr Reid of Westfield Road, Yeovil, fishing illegally. He failed to produce a rod licence when asked and refused to provide his name and address. He was also found not be in control of his fishing rod and line. They had been left unattended with bait and hook in the water.
These things take a long time to prosecute, or at least to work their way through the courts system. So it was only on 3 May this year that Mr read appeared before Magistrates. He pleaded guilty to three offences:
- fishing without a licence
- leaving fishing rods unattended
- failing to provide correct name and address when required
Alan Reid after he was fined a total of £120 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £34.
Following the verdict, James Allan, Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officer, said: “This angler blatantly disregarded signs at the fishery that said an Environment Agency rod licence was needed to fish. Anglers must be control of their rod and line at all times whilst fishing – it is illegal to leave them unattended with bait or hook in the water. Rod fishing byelaws are there to protect fish stocks and their habitats. If you do not comply with these byelaws you could face prosecution and be fined up to £50,000.”