Illegal Lancashire anglers fined thousands by the courts

[Elton]

Interesting choice of photo. Anyone recognise the location?

 

http://www.lep.co.uk/news/local/illegal-lancashire-anglers-fined-thousands-by-the-courts-1-5588143

[IanBass]

I'm not 100% but I think that is on the Ribble toward Preston. Awfull photo though as this chap is obviously using sea fishing tackle and therefore would not need a licence. All the river estuaries in Lancashire get fished for flounder/dab/plaice especially this time of year. On the Wyre right upto St Michaels.

Typical journalists, why let a dodgy photo get in the way of a story

[nick]

Many many years since I fished there but that was my thinking too Ian

[Vagabond]

128 prosecutions in two years. ie 64 per year.

 

Compare that with the alleged 2700 prosecutions country-wide last year

 

Given that Lancashire is densely populated, 64 seems a very small proportion of 2700 (its less than a fortieth, or less than 2.5%)

 

Is that because they are a law-abiding, licence-buying lot in Lancashire, or is it because the Lancastrian bailiffs leave their office armchairs less often than their colleagues elsewhere ?

 

You could argue that the total in fines (£15712) doesn't pay the salary of even one Lancashire bailiff, which means a lot of the licence money the rest of us pay must go to subsidise licence-checking. How many EA bailiffs are there ?

[Steve Walker]

I would guess that the fines go to the treasury, too, not to the EA fisheries budget.

[Vagabond]

I would guess that the fines go to the treasury, too, not to the EA fisheries budget.

But the EA budget comes from the treasury, so it should amount to the same thing - but I am forgetting, we don't have joined-up government, but a culture of buck-passing instead.

[Steve Walker]

You are far too old and wise to expect anything so sensible from government as to ring-fence the fines!

[AddictedToScopex]

How many EA bailiffs are there ?

Cant give an accurate number of course but I have never seen a single one and in all my brothers angling life he has seen only one and he has fished the ribble for 20 years up until his recent break from angling. They are rare creatures up this neck of the woods.

[Leon Roskilly]

Question asked in Parliament

 

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2013-04-16a.150980.h&s=fishing#g150980.r0

[gozzer]

You are far too old and wise to expect anything so sensible from government as to ring-fence the fines!

I don't know Steve, this quote suggests different. I was supprised to see it.

 

 

Lesley Robertson, Environmental Crime Team Leader, said, “Our bailiffs never ask for on-the-spot fines. This is an obvious sign that it is a bogus official. The correct protocol is for a suspected offender to be given an offence report form. If this results in a prosecution, money from the court fine will be used for the benefit of the watercourses

.

 

It came from this article. It doesn't say all monies though.

 

http://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/local/police-warn-of-bogus-bailiffs-targeting-fishermen-in-lincolnshire-1-4983182

 

 

John.