The cases were brought to Northampton Magistrates Court by the Environment Agency on 1 April 2019.

David Shaw, 41, of Hawkins Close, Rothwell, Kettering, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Cromwell Carp Lake near Newark in Nottinghamshire.

He was ordered to pay a total of £677.47. An annual fishing licence would have cost him just £30.

The penalty includes a fine of £500, costs of £127.47 and a victim surcharge of £50 after Shaw was found in breach of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act (1975).

Darren Clark, 29, of Wymington Road, Rushden, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Grendon Dog Kennels, Grendon, Northamptonshire.

He was ordered to pay a total of £423.47. The penalty includes a fine of £266, costs of £127.47 and a victim surcharge of £30 after Clark was found in breach of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act (1975).

Following the verdicts, Caroline Tero, fisheries team leader for Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire Area, said:

These cases show how seriously the courts take these offences and we hope it will act as a deterrent to any angler who is thinking of fishing without a licence.

We would also like to remind anglers who wish to buy their licence online of the importance of buying their fishing licence directly from GOV.UK as they will receive a reference number allowing them to go fishing on the same day.

Customers who use third-party sites may be charged more and might not get added to the official database as quickly.

All of the money raised from fishing licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries, benefitting anglers and, for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.

Every year across the country, thousands of anglers are prosecuted for not having a fishing licence. As well as cheating other anglers, fishing illegally can carry a hefty penalty. Getting caught without a licence could land a fine of up to £2,500.

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 available).

Junior licences are free for 13- to 16-year-olds. Licences are available from GOV.UK or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. 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 partners including the police and the Angling Trust. Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.

Christopher Wain has his sentence increased to 6 years and 6 months imprisonment.

A man convicted of robbery at a Tesco Express with a knife and attempted robbery at a Betfred has today had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred it to the Court of Appeal.

Christopher Wain, 41, and another male entered a Tesco Express 5 minutes before closing time. Both were wearing balaclavas, Wain carrying a knife, and threatened an employee behind the counter to empty the tills.

The following day Wain, wearing a balaclava again, entered a Betfred bookmakers store and threatened a woman working behind the counter. The woman proceeded to activate the panic alarm and notify security of Wain’s threats. Wain left quickly.

Wain was originally sentenced in February 2019 to 2 years and 6 months’ imprisonment at the Crown Court in Oxford. Today the Court of Appeal has increased this to 6 years and 6 months’ imprisonment.

Following the decision the Solicitor General said:

“Wain has an extensive criminal record that includes previous convictions for theft, he also committed this robbery whilst on bail. Furthermore, he has caused additional stress and anxiety by using a weapon and wearing a balaclava whilst carrying out both the robbery and attempted robbery. I am glad his sentence has been increased today and hope it brings comfort to his victims.”

With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a Statement on yesterday’s European Council.

But before I do, I am sure that the whole House will welcome the news this morning that the Metropolitan Police have arrested Julian Assange for breach of bail, after nearly seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy. He has also been arrested in relation to an extradition request from the United States authorities.

This is now a legal matter before the courts. My Right Honourable Friend the Home Secretary will make a Statement on this later, but I would like to thank the Metropolitan Police for carrying out their duties with great professionalism and to welcome the co-operation of the Ecuadorian government in bringing this matter to a resolution.

Mr Speaker, this goes to show that in the United Kingdom, no one is above the law.

Turning to the Council, my priority is to deliver Brexit – and to do so in an orderly way that does not disrupt people’s lives.

So I continue to believe we need to leave the European Union with a deal as soon as possible.

And of course, this House has voted repeatedly to avoid a No Deal.

Yet despite the efforts of Members on all sides, we have not so far been able to vote for a deal.

So ahead of the Council, I wrote to President Tusk to seek a short extension to the Article 50 period to 30th June.

Critically, I also requested that any extension should be terminable – so that whenever this House agrees a deal and ratifies the Withdrawal Agreement, we can get on and leave.

And I did this not merely to avoid a further delay beyond ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement – but specifically to retain our ability to leave the EU without having to hold European Parliamentary elections on the 23rd May.

Mr Speaker, the discussions at the Council were difficult and unsurprisingly many of our European partners share the deep frustration that I know so many of us feel in this House over the current impasse.

There was a range of views about the length of an extension with a large number of Member States preferring a longer extension to the end of this year or even into the next.

In the end what was agreed by the UK and the EU27 was a compromise – an extension lasting until the end of October.

The Council also agreed that we would update on our progress at the next meeting in June.

Critically – as I requested – the Council agreed that this extension can be terminated when the Withdrawal Agreement has been ratified.

So, for example, if we were to pass a deal by 22nd May, we would not have to take part in European elections. And when the EU has also ratified, we would be able to leave at 11pm on 31st May.

In short, the date of our departure from the EU – and our participation in the European Parliamentary Elections – remains a decision for this House.

As President Tusk said last night: “During this time, the course of action will be entirely in the UK’s hands.”

In agreeing this extension, there was some discussion in the Council about whether stringent conditions should be imposed on the UK for its EU membership during this period.

But I argued against this.

I put the case that there is only a single tier of EU membership, with no conditionality attached beyond existing treaty obligations.

The Council conclusions are clear that during the course of the extension the UK will continue to hold full membership rights.

In turn, I assured my fellow leaders that the UK will continue to be bound by all our ongoing obligations as a Member State, including the duty of sincere co-operation.

The United Kingdom plays a responsible and constructive role on the world stage – and we always will.

That is the kind of country we are.

The choices we face are stark and the timetable is clear.

I believe we must now press on at pace with our efforts to reach a consensus on a deal that is in the national interest.

I welcome the discussions that have taken place with the Opposition in recent days – and the further talks which are resuming today.

This is not the normal way of British politics – and it is uncomfortable for many in both the Government and Opposition parties.

Reaching an agreement will not be easy, because to be successful it will require both sides to make compromises.

But however challenging it may be politically, I profoundly believe that in this unique situation where the House is deadlocked, it is incumbent on both front benches to seek to work together to deliver what the British people voted for. And I think that the British people expect their politicians to do just that when the national interest demands it.

I hope that we can reach an agreement on a single unified approach that we can put to the House for approval.

But if we cannot do so soon, then we will seek to agree a small number of options for the future relationship that we will put to the House in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue.

And as I have made clear before, the Government stands ready to abide by the decision of the House. But to make this process work, the Opposition would need to agree to this too.

With the House’s consent, we could also bring forward the Withdrawal Agreement Bill – which is a necessary element of any deal, whichever course we take.

This Bill will take time to pass through both Houses, so if we want to get on with leaving, we need to start this process soon.

And it could also provide a useful forum to resolve some of the outstanding issues in the future relationship.

Crucially, Mr Speaker, any agreement on the future relationship may involve a number of additions and clarifications to the Political Declaration.

So I am pleased that at this Council, all 27 Member States responded to my update on the ongoing cross-party talks by agreeing that – “the European Council is prepared to reconsider the Political Declaration on the future relationship in accordance with the positions and principles stated in its guidelines and statements.”

The Council also reiterated that the Withdrawal Agreement itself could not be reopened.

Mr Speaker, I know the whole country is intensely frustrated that this process to leave the European Union has not still been completed.

I never wanted to seek this extension – and I deeply regret that we have not yet been able to secure agreement in this House for a deal that would allow us to leave in a smooth and orderly way.

I know too that this whole debate is putting Members on all sides of the House under immense pressure and causing uncertainty across the country.

And we need to resolve this.

So let us use the opportunity of the Recess to reflect on the decisions that will have to be made swiftly on our return after Easter. And let us then resolve to find a way through this impasse.

So that we can leave the European Union with a deal as soon as possible.

So that we can avoid having to hold those European Parliamentary elections.

And above all, so that we can fulfil the democratic decision of the Referendum, deliver Brexit and move our country forward.

This is our national duty as elected members of this House – and nothing today is more pressing or more vital.

And I commend this Statement to the House.

The Government is concerned about the recent rise in racist abuse in football, which threatens to overshadow everything we love about our national sport.

Last weekend The English Football League said it was “saddened, disappointed and angered” after a weekend of fixtures were blighted by four separate incidents of alleged racism against players.

At the same time, in the Premier League, Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha reposted an online tweet calling him “a diving monkey”.

This all happened on the very same weekend that the Premier League’s new “No Room for Racism” campaign was visible at grounds up and down the country.

Late last year – the unthinkable occurred – a banana skin was thrown on the pitch in the direction of a player during the North London derby. Around the same time, we saw the abuse Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling suffered at Stamford Bridge.

We all witnessed the appalling scenes of racism directed at several of our England players in Montenegro. Homophobic and anti-semitic chanting both here and abroad has also been prevalent in recent times. English football is revered across the globe for its excitement and passion. No other sport or country opens its doors and embraces so many different nationalities. We simply cannot have millions of people, in particular our young people tuning in, or witnessing first hand, the type of vile abuse that has been apparent of late. Abuse directed at our players; our managers; by opposing fans.

Messrs Zaha, Sterling, and Rose deserve our respect for speaking out about the abuse that is happening now, but ultimately they deserve our support. They need clear demonstrations that zero tolerance of this behaviour means just that. Be it player, manager or supporter nobody who goes to games should have to tolerate discrimination of any kind, whether playing or attending.

We welcomed the Football Association’s call for UEFA to take strong and swift action following events in Montenegro. However if this country is going to show the rest of the world that this behaviour is intolerable, then we need to ensure we are making all efforts to combat discriminatory behaviour domestically.

I want to put on record that there is some fantastic work being done by many of our clubs to stand up to the challenge of racism and intolerance, and it must also be said that the majority of football fans behave impeccably, creating a fantastic atmosphere which is a major part of the experience of watching live football.

Racism is not of football’s making, but sadly it is being used by certain individuals and groups to spread hate. This extends to the grassroots with Kick it Out reporting a rise in racist incidents at this level too.

It cannot be right for clubs to be fined for players taking action and walking off the pitch if they are receiving racist abuse. It is vital that players are supported. This fine sends out the wrong signal. The FA must review whether their rules and the guidance they give to clubs is effective in these situations.

Putting a stop to this is a challenge to all fans, all clubs or agencies at all levels. This government is determined to help them tackle this problem.

On the 25 February I brought all the various administrators, campaign bodies, fan group representative, players, managers and their representative organisations together for a summit to discuss this issue, and collectively decide on what steps must be taken to help eradicate it.

At that summit it was agreed that a number of areas needed to be examined further. These were:

To review if football’s current sanctioning regime goes far enough, and if not, what more is needed to act as a deterrent to this type of behaviour. To ensure the partnership between football authorities and the police is close enough to improve the identification and sanctioning of offenders at matches; To ask, do we give enough support to stewards? Can we improve their capacity to deal with discrimination consisitently throughout the football leagues? Can football improve the information flow of incident reporting on the pitch, and support players? How can we double down efforts to ensure match officials, stewarding operations, coaching and academy staff are all able to fully engage in their responsibilities to maintain an open and inclusive sporting environment. I also want to see initiatives to help increase the numbers of people from BAME background into football professions beyond playing. Transparency and opportunities around the recruitment process are central to this.

Government will now work with those key groups to deliver clear, tangible actions in the areas I have just described.

My intention is to announce these in partnership with football before the end of summer. If we are able to deliver these before then, even better.

I want to see change ready for the next season.

The ongoing cross-government sport strategy ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation’ seeks to ensure that access to sport is equal for all. It is vital that the atmosphere and environment in which sport and physcial activity takes place in our communities – be it grassroots or at the elite level – is safe, supportive and free of discrimination.

The experience of players, staff and fans therefore at football games both home and abroad will prove the ultimate test of success in this area, but I am confident that the appetite is there to accept this challenge and working in partnership, we will quash this disturbing ugly recent trend of racism across our beautiful game.