A DUDLEY angler has been hit with a court bill of nearly £300 after admitting fishing without a licence in the Kidderminster area.

Jagdev Rana, aged 26, from Bradfield Way, pleaded guilty to illegal fishing at Wilden Pool Fishery, in Stourport, on October 8.

He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £289, including a fine of £146, costs of £85, and a victim surcharge of £58.

The case was one of three brought by the Environment Agency and heard at Northampton Magistrates Court on Monday February 13.

Nichola Tomlinson, fisheries enforcement team leader at the Environment Agency, said it was hoped the penalty would act as a deterrent to “anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws and byelaws we have in place across England”.

She added: “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, seven 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 from £6, and an annual licence costs from £30 (concessions available). Junior licences are free for 13 to 16-year-olds.

Licences are available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386.

Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency incident hotline 24/7 on 0800 807060 or report information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org.