{"id":74715,"date":"2016-10-04T15:10:48","date_gmt":"2016-10-04T15:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=d991505f3e7bed6651c99897a4ab0952"},"modified":"2016-10-04T15:10:48","modified_gmt":"2016-10-04T15:10:48","slug":"press-release-rod-licence-blitz-nets-23-anglers-for-offences-on-lincolnshire-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=74715","title":{"rendered":"Press release: Rod licence blitz nets 23 anglers for offences on Lincolnshire waters"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"govspeak\">\n<p>A number of illegal anglers will be left reeling after being nabbed by Environment Agency officers during a weekend blitz at fishing hotspots across Lincolnshire.<\/p>\n<p>The patrols were carried out by Environment Agency enforcement officers who were acting on intelligence to seek out those fishing without a licence.<\/p>\n<p>Officers carried out more than 400 checks in more than 60 waters across the county, and 23 anglers were reported for offences including fishing without a licence. They now face further action and, if found guilty in court, could face fines of up to \u00a32,500.<\/p>\n<p>Peter Stark, Senior Enforcement Officer at the Environment Agency, said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The number of anglers caught red-handed is testament to how seriously we at the Environment Agency take illegal fishing, which disregards the law and the health of fisheries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"last-child\">People who don\u2019t buy a licence are not only cheating other anglers and the future of the sport but running the risk of criminal conviction and a fine. There is no excuse \u2013 it costs just \u00a327 for a whole year and you can buy it from the Post Office website.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Every year nearly 1 million anglers fish legally, respecting each other and the sport. The money they pay to buy a licence supports fish, fisheries and fishing, and protects the future of the sport.<\/p>\n<p>For the minority who flout the rules, the most common offence is fishing without a valid licence. Fishing without a valid licence could land you with a fine of up to \u00a32,500 and a criminal record.<\/p>\n<p>Any angler aged 12 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence. An annual licence costs from just \u00a327 (concessions available). You can buy your rod licence online from the <a rel=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.postoffice.co.uk\/rod-fishing-licence\">Post Office<\/a>, at your local Post Office branch or by phoning 0344 800 5386.<\/p>\n<p>The Environment Agency\u2019s work is intelligence-led, meaning that work is targeted on areas where there are reports of evasion or are known illegal hotspots.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Environment Agency enforcement officers have been carrying out checks on anglers in Lincolnshire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74715"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=74715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74715\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=74715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=74715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=74715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}