A 42-year-old man has been told to pay nearly £500 for fishing without a licence on the River Avon in Warwick.

Maciej Zaprawa, of Redland Road, Leamington Spa, did not return a plea for fishing without a licence on the River Avon at Warwick on 24 September 2023.

His case was proven in his absence and he was fined £220, costs of £135 and a victim's surcharge of £88 - when an annual fishing licence currently costs just £33.

Zaprawa is one of nine West Midlands anglers to recently be fined after cases were heard at Northampton Magistrates Court on January 15.

Lucian Firici, 44, of Stratford Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to fishing without a valid licence on 16 July 2023 at Mereside Fishery, Earlswood.

He was ordered to pay a total of £338 which was made up of £146 fine, costs of £135 and a victim's surcharge of £58.

Nichola Tomlinson, fisheries enforcement team leader at the Environment Agency, said: "We hope the penalties that these illegal anglers have received will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws and byelaws 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, 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."