Three anglers have been fined more than £2,000 after they were caught fishing without a licence.

Andrius Buzinkas of Yoxley Drive, Gants Hill, Andrei Argint of Fremantle Road, Barkingside, and Stici Ghenadie of Ardwell Avenue were tried in their absence at Colchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

All three were found guilty of fishing for freshwater fish or otherwise than by means of a licensed instrument.

Buzincas and Ghenadie were also found guilty of failing to state their name and address to a water bailiff.

Each was ordered to pay a £500 fine, £127 in costs and a £50 victim surcharge – £677 in total.

The court also approved an application for their fishing equipment, which was seized at the time of the offence, to be forfeited as an additional penalty.

On May 17, the Environment Agency received a call from A12 Cuton Lakes, a popular fishery in Chelmsford.

They suspected a group of anglers were fishing without rod licences, and were taking fish illegally, instead of returning them in accordance with the fishery’s rules.

An Environment Agency fisheries enforcement officer arrived on site soon after, and spoke to the group of five men and one woman.

The officer was able to establish three men in the group had been fishing, and although two gave false names, by checking the ownership of their vehicles the officer was able to confirm their real identities.

In one vehicle, the officer found a crate containing around 10 carp, weighing about 45lbs in total. All had been unlawfully removed from the lake.

These were returned to the fishery with the group being ordered to pay £500 in compensation through a community resolution order agreed by the police, who also attended the incident to support our officer.

“This incident shows yet again, that fishing without a rod licence simply isn’t worth the risk,” said Lesley Robertson, an Environmental Crime Team Leader with the Environment Agency.”

A one-day rod licence costs £3.75.