4 licence dodgers receive fines of £690£710 for fishing illegally 

• Anglers from Leicester, Loughborough, Retford and Elvaston caught for not having valid fishing licence
• Fisheries Enforcement officers clamp down on illegal angling to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable
• Cases heard at Northampton Magistrates Court on 18 November 2024

The case against Dean Dainty, 38, of Bridgegate Place, Retford, Nottinghamshire, was proved in his absence. Dainty was reported for fishing illegally at Hallcroft, near Retford, on 27 May 2024.

He was fined £220, ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim’s surcharge of £88 for a total of £443.

George Duffield, 25, of Kings Drive, Leicester, also had his case proved in his absence. Duffield was reported for fishing illegally at Embryo Angling, near Norton Disney, Lincolnshire, on 26 May 2024.

He was fined £220, ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim’s surcharge of £88 for a total of £443.

Bogdan Buciumean, 42, of Gladstone Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire admitted fishing illegally at Beechwood Park, Elvaston, on 2 June 2024. He was fined £147, ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim’s surcharge of £58 for a total of £340.

Thomas Eyre, 24, of Woodlands Drive, Derby, admitted fishing illegally at Longford Fishery near Derby on 26 May 2024. He was fined £123, ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim’s surcharge of £49 for a total of £307.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: 

We hope the penalties these illegal anglers have received will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws 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 1-day licence costs from just £7.10, and an annual licence costs from £35.80 (concessions available). 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. 

The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all year round and is supported by partners including the police and the Angling Trust. Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported. 

Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency incident hotline 24/7 on 0800 807060 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.  

The Charges

Dean Dainty – on 27 May 2024, at Hallcroft, Retford, Notts, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line contrary to Section 27 (1) (a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.

George Duffield – on 26 May 2024, at Embryo Angling, Norton Disney, Lincs, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line contrary to Section 27 (1) (a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.

Bogdan Buciumean – on June 2, 2024, at Beechwood Park, Elvaston, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line contrary to Section 27 (1) (a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.

Thomas Eyre – on May 26 2024, at Longford Fishery, Longford, Derby, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line contrary to Section 27 (1) (a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.