TWO men have been handed fines totalling more than £600 after being caught fishing without a licence.

Enforcement officers from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) caught Christian Byrne, of Abergavenny, and Jay Matthews, of Cwmbran, preparing to fish along stretches of the river Usk and Wye on the July 13 whilst they were carrying out separate patrols.

When questioned by officers, Mr Byrne claimed he held a current Rod Licence - but after checks were conducted this was found to not be the case.

Mr Matthews confirmed he did not hold a valid fishing licence.

Court hearings were held on Wednesday, November 15, and in total the pair were fined £618.60

Byrne was found guilty of using an unlicensed fishing instrument and was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs of £127.30 and a £88 victim surcharge - a total of £435.30.

Matthews was found guilty of using an unlicensed fishing instrument and was fined £40, ordered to pay costs of £127.30 and a £16 victim surcharge, bringing the total cost to £183.30.

Chris Burge, waste regulation officer for NRW warned that the organisation "take any activity that threatens Welsh fish stocks extremely seriously".

Mr Burge said: “This is especially true of illegal fishing.

"We urge anglers to make use of our beautiful countryside in Wales, but to do so responsibly and to ensure that they have licences to fish, to avoid risking prosecution.

"Remember you must have a rod fishing licence for England and Wales if you’re fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel with a rod and line. You could be fined up to up to £2,500 and your fishing equipment could be seized if you’re fishing and cannot show a valid rod fishing licence.”

Anyone who sees or suspects illegal fishing activity can report it to the NRW 24-hour incident hotline on 0300 065 3000 or on the NRW website which you can view here.

Rod licences can be purchased online here.