A Londoner has been fined hundreds of pounds for fishing illegally in Oxfordshire waters.

Tony Simpson was caught fishing without a licence at Linear Fisheries, a fishing club near Witney, over the May Day weekend (April 29 to May 1).

The 40-year-old from Orpington, south east London, was told to pay £443 by Hastings Magistrates’ Court on November 6.

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He was one of 10 men who were fined for illegal fishing in April and May, with most of the offences taking place in Kent.

Anyone aged 13 or over needs a licence to fish for salmon, trout, eels or freshwater species, with the price as little as £6.60 for a day.

In 2021/22, anglers fishing legally created almost £22m in licence fees, reinvested by the Environment Agency into angling and supported activities like stocking rivers with fish, responding to fisheries incidents and giving advice to clubs.

Kye Jerrom, a senior enforcement officer with the Environment Agency, said: “Fishing licences are great value and much cheaper than fines.

Oxford Mail: An officer books a man later prosecuted for fishing without a licence An officer books a man later prosecuted for fishing without a licence (Image: EA)“We raise tens of millions of pounds every year to stock waters with fish, and improve rivers and fisheries for anglers and the wider environment.

“It’s quick, easy and cheap to get a licence by phone and online – search ‘fishing licence’ on gov.uk.

 “Our fisheries enforcement officers carry out regular checks on private lakes, rivers, ponds and canals – anywhere that can be fished."

Information on suspected illegal fishing can be reported to the Environment Agency's dedicated line on 0800 80 70 60.