ENFORCEMENT officers cracked down on illegal anglers in Cheshire over the May Day bank holiday weekend.

Fishing without a valid licence could land you with a fine of up to £2,500 and a criminal record.

Over the three-day weekend enforcement officers saw 378 anglers fishing legally at 12 locations across Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

In total, Environment Agency enforcement officers reported 22 people for fishing without a valid licence.

Nick Mercer, team leader, Fisheries, Biodiversity and Geomorphology, said: “We are passionate about making the sport of angling the best it can be and we take our job of protecting angling, fisheries and the environment very seriously.

“The vast majority of anglers who fish legally deserve to see those who flout the law brought to account.

“To that criminal minority our message is clear; we won’t hesitate to take action to stop illegal fishing.

“Nearly one million anglers have a rod licence and legally enjoy the sport of fishing; we’re urging everyone to get their licence online before they next go fishing.”

Last year, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside enforcement officers checked 4,955 licences and reported 253 for fishing illegally.

The Environment Agency checked more than 62,000 rod licences and prosecuted more than 1,900 anglers for rod and line offences across England in 2016.

These resulted in fines and costs in excess of £500,000.

Money from rod licence sales is invested in England’s fisheries and is used to fund a wide range of projects to improve facilities for anglers.

These include protecting stocks from illegal fishing, pollution and disease, restoring fish stocks through restocking, eradicate invasive species, and fish habitat improvements.

Rod licence money is also used to fund the Angling Trust to provide information about fishing and to encourage participation in the sport.

Illegal activity can be reported by calling the Environment Agency Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.