Press release: Hefty fines for unlicensed anglers

Two men have been handed hefty court fines for fishing illegally in separate offences at Manor Farm Lakes Northill, Bedford.

They were caught in May last year fishing without a rod licence during targeted patrols by Environment Agency fisheries enforcement officers.

Jay John Whitbread, 22, of Church Lane, Bedford, was caught fishing without a licence at the same location on 2 separate occasions and both cases were heard together at court. He was fined £657, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and £127 costs. A total of £814.

Liam Knight, 27, of Westmill Lane, Hitchin, was also caught fishing without a licence. He was fined £293, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and £127 costs. A total of £450.
The defendants both pleaded guilty to Luton Magistrates Court on 6 March 2018.

After the hearing Environment Agency officer Kye Jerrom said:

It’s a crime to fish without a valid licence and offenders could be fined up to £2,500, have their fishing equipment seized and be banned from fishing. Our enforcement officers inspect rod licences throughout East Anglia and could turn up at any time.

All income from rod licence sales is invested directly back into maintaining and improving fisheries. Those who fish without a rod licence are having a direct effect on that work and are selling other anglers short. At £30 for a 2 rod coarse and non-migratory trout license, or £82 to also fish for salmon and sea trout, and short term options available too, the rod licence is great value for money”.

Anglers are being reminded that fishing for coarse fish in rivers is off limits until 16 June and anyone caught can expect to be prosecuted and face a fine. The 3-month break began 15 March and ends 15 June.

Close Season

The close season on rivers is important to maintain healthy fish stocks, as it allows fish time to breed as well as giving other waterside wildlife the same break. During this time fisheries enforcement officers will be carrying out regular patrols of rivers with partners under OPERATION CLAMPDOWN.

OPERATION CLAMPDOWN is a joint Environment Agency, Police and Angling Trust – Voluntary Bailiff Service enforcement strategy run throughout the closed season. It ensures reactive and planned enforcement activity prevents illegal fishing on lakes, rivers, ponds and canals where coarse fishing is allowed. Officers will be ensuring all anglers have a valid rod licence, and they will also be on the look-out for those using illegal baits, banned methods of fishing and fishing in prohibited areas.

Buying a rod licence is quick and easy – either online at www.gov.uk – the only site you need, or from the Post Office.

The Environment Agency urges anyone to report illegal fishing by calling 0800 80 70 60.

Notice: TF13 6JN, Dinnawell Limited: environmental permit application advertisement

The Environment Agency consults the public on certain applications for waste operations, mining waste operations, installations, water discharge and groundwater activities. The arrangements are explained in its Public Participation Statement

These notices explain:

what the application is about
how you can view the application documents
when you need to comment by

The Environment Agency will decide:

whether to grant or refuse the application
what conditions to include in the permit (if granted)

News story: Supporting World Autism Awareness Week

The company has shared a video featuring employees who have set up an autism support network.

Sellafield Ltd supports Autism Awareness Week

Autism affects around 1 in 100 people in the UK.

As an inclusive employer of around 10,000 people, Sellafield Ltd is keen to ensure their employees are supported and able contribute to the site’s mission in the best way possible.

The site’s autism network was founded following a chance meeting between two employees, who are parents of autistic children.

The network has now grown to a group of around 50 employees, who are affected by the condition in a range of ways.

The group meet regularly to share their experiences and support each other, and members are keen to help other people who may be struggling with the condition, by directing them to useful information.

News story: IPO supports DCMS Creative Industries Sector Deal

IP connect is the Intellectual Property Office media service.

On 28 March, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Business jointly launched the Creative Industries Sector Deal. More than £150 million will be invested by government and industry to help the country’s world-leading cultural and creative businesses thrive.

This follows on from the government’s Industrial Strategy White Paper that was published in November. The strategy committed to roll-out Sector Deals, which are partnerships between government and industry to increase sector productivity.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has been working with DCMS and the Creative Industries on including intellectual property (IP) in this Sector Deal. We have committed to:

support the Creative Content UK campaign, Get it Right from a Genuine Site, by providing joint funding of £2 million with DCMS
organise roundtables with online intermediaries and rights holders. These will consider the practicalities of agreeing new Codes of Practice in social media, digital advertising and online market places
continue our work to help address the value gap, both within the Digital Single Market copyright proposals and at domestic levels
consider site blocking and ways that this could be introduced
publish a programme of work to support the IP valuation market by autumn 2018. We will also work with industry to help identify solutions to address skills gaps around IP valuation

For more information, read the full Creative Industries Sector Deal.

Published 28 March 2018

News story: Cleanest lorries will pay less to use UK roads

From February next year (2019), lorries meeting the latest Euro VI emissions standards will be eligible for a 10% reduction in the cost of the Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) levy.

The cleanest lorries generate 80% less nitrogen emissions than dirtier ones. Those lorries that do not meet the latest emissions standards will be expected to pay 20% more.

Roads Minister Jesse Norman said:

This government is committed to improving the air we breathe and delivering a green revolution in transport.

Heavy goods vehicles account for around a fifth of harmful nitrogen oxide emissions from road transport, but they only travel 5% of the total miles.

That’s why we’re changing the HGV levy to encourage firms to phase out the most polluting lorries and bring in the cleanest ones.

The HGV Road User Levy, introduced in 2014, was brought in as a first step to ensure lorries pay a charge to cover the greater wear and tear they cause to road surfaces than other vehicles. This change to the levy will further incentivise the industry to choose less polluting lorries.

When the change comes into effect, more than half of UK vehicles will pay less. As increasing numbers of companies move to cleaner lorries, the UK haulage industry overall will pay less.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

Air pollution has improved significantly since 2010, but we recognise there is more to do which is why we have put in place a £3.5 billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions.

Poor air quality affects public health, the economy, and the environment, and all motorists, including hauliers, must play their part if we are to clean up our air for the next generation.

The HGV levy is just one element of the government’s £3.5 billion programme to clean up the air and reduce emissions, which includes £255 million for councils to improve air quality and a dedicated Clean Air Fund of £220 million for those local areas with the biggest air quality challenges.

Current rate	Euro VI rate from Feb 2019	Euro 0-V rate from Feb 2019
£1,000	£900	£1,200