Illegal Horsmonden anglers netted

Illegal Horsmonden anglers netted

Local fisheries targetted

The hunters became the hunted in Horsmonden and Paddock Wood this week as authorities reeled in eight men caught fishing at local lakes without a licence.

The anglers, from addresses across the south-east, failed to get off the hook and were handed fines of up to £440 by Sevenoaks magistrates on Tuesday following a series of spot checks by Environment Agency (EA) officers in August.

The men were charged after being netted at Elphicks Farm Lakes, in Spelmonden Road, Horsmonden, Orchard Place Farm in Pearsons Green Road, Paddock Wood, and Tricklebrook Fishery, Colts Hill.

Licences cost from £3.50 for a day's fishing and are required for every active angler over the age of 12. They allow the use of a maximum of two rods and lines at a time.

One defendant, 44-year-old Michael Sevenoaks, of Hartley Close, Senacre, Maidstone, had been unable to produce a licence for any of the three rods he was using and was fined £175. With £75 costs, a £15 victim surcharge and a further £175 fine for giving a false name and address, his punishment totalled £440.

The court also heard a statement from Danny Constable, of Judd Road, Tonbridge, explaining how he believed he could buy a licence on arrival at Orchard Place Farm, but found this was no longer possible.

The 19-year-old drainage engineer's fine was reduced to £50 plus costs when magistrates heard he had since bought a licence and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "If you fish without a rod licence you are cheating other anglers, and if you are caught you may be fined up to £2,500."

Tricklebrook Fishery's bailiff Will Lewington said: "A lot of the time when I walk round and collect the money I ask people if they have licences, but I'm not required by law to do that. If the EA came up here and found a couple of people didn't have licences then they would keep coming back every weekend, and the lake would get a bad reputation."

Elphicks manager Mark Pallet added: "I think every fishery would welcome this. We get a few pennies out of rod licences, so we don't mind at all."

The other men fined were: Mark Wratten, 31, of Wichling Close, Orpington; John Beech, 35, of Malvern Avenue, Bexleyheath; Michael Cooper, 24, of Tenterden Drive, Canterbury; Mark Holmes, 21, of Commonwealth Way, Abbey Wood; Callum Richards, 21, of Marmadon Road, Plumstead; and Daniel Kirk, 24, of Shinglewell Road, Erith.