An angler netted himself a hefty fine for fishing at Singleton Lake in Ashford without a valid licence - all because he tried to avoid paying £3.75.

Mitchell Jordan made a rod for his own back when he arrived at the popular spot on June 11 and started fishing without having first paid for and obtained the correct paperwork.

Mr Jordan was found guilty this week of illegal fishing following a hearing at Canterbury Magistrates' Court.

He was charged with fishing with three rods without a valid licence and ordered to pay a £250 fine, costs of £127 and a victims' surcharge of £25 - a total of £402.

Three other men appeared in court alongside Mr Jordan after being caught fishing without licences in Canterbury and the four of them were fined a total of more than £1,800.

Joe Northgarden, fisheries officer at the Environment Agency, said: "This incident shows yet again that fishing without a rod licence simply isn’t worth the risk.

"In a misguided attempt to save the £3.75 a one-day rod licence costs, these individuals have had to pay more than £400 each in fines and costs.

"They’ve also lost their equipment and the fish they caught. They could have been fined even more – the maximum penalty of £2,500.

"For just £27 they could have got a licence to enjoy a full year’s fishing entirely legitimately."

The Environment Agency uses money raised from rod licence sales to protect fish stocks and improve fisheries, Mr Northgarden added.