Wiffen pleaded guilty at Hastings Magistrates’ Court. The 29-year-old was fined £40 and imposed a £34 victim surcharge and £65 in costs.

The penalties totalled £139 - more than 4 times the cost of a £30, 12-month, 2-rod trout and coarse fishing licence, and 3 times that of a £45 3-rod equivalent fishing licence.*

Enforcement team leader for the Environment Agency, Lesley Robertson, said:

This case shows we pursue offenders through the courts and won’t hesitate to take enforcement action where anglers break rules. Anyone found fishing illegally may face prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500.

All anglers need a valid Environment Agency fishing licence. The money raised through the sales of fishing licences is re-invested and enables us to improve all fisheries, including rivers, for anglers and for wildlife.

Our fisheries enforcement officers routinely undertake licence checks, and we urge anyone with information about illegal fishing to contact us on 0800 807060.

Licences now run 365 days from the day of purchase offering 12 full months of fishing.

Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence. A 1-day licence costs from just £6, and an annual licence costs from just £30. Concessions are available. Junior licences are free for 13 to 16-year-olds.

For more information or to buy a fishing licence visit the GOV.UK website or call the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386. Alternatively, you can purchase a licence from your local Post Office branch.

The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all year round and is supported by police forces and the Angling Trust. Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.

Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities should report it to our incident hotline number 0800 807060. You can also report it to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Adam Wiffen pleaded guilty to breaching Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975. He was sentenced at Hastings Magistrates’ Court on 29 April.

*£45 is the cost of a 12-month trout and coarse 3-rod fishing licence. £30 is the cost of a 12-month trout and coarse 2-rod fishing licence.