Two men have been fined after being caught fishing at Idle Valley Nature Reserve near Retford, breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order that banned them from the site entirely.
Officers were called to Idle Valley Nature Reserve on Wednesday 13 May after reports of illegal fishing at the protected site. When they arrived, they quickly spotted Luke Douglas, 24, and Layton Janes, 30, with four rods set up along the bank of the reserve's lake, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Both men had previously been handed a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order on 23 May 2024, prohibiting them from entering Idle Valley Nature Reserve and from fishing or possessing fishing equipment anywhere in the Bassetlaw district.
While Douglas was detained at the scene, Janes fled -- though not for long. He handed himself in later the same day.
Both men were charged with breaching their CBOs and remanded in custody overnight. They pleaded guilty at Nottingham Magistrates' Court the following day and were each ordered to pay £85.
Douglas is from Welfare Avenue, Barwick in Elmet, Leeds. Janes is from Canal Lane, Lofthouse Gate, Wakefield.
PC Mark Holland, of the Worksop South neighbourhood policing team, said: "Janes and Douglas were well and truly caught -- hook, line and sinker -- with nowhere to hide. This type of behaviour can cause substantial environmental damage, and it's imperative we do what we can to protect our rural landscapes and wildlife.
"Even when fish are caught then released, this causes avoidable stress to nature, injury to vulnerable species, and undermines recovery projects. We've also seen the reserve left full of rubbish and staff subjected to rudeness, and that behaviour has no place at a site of this importance."
PC Holland added that Idle Valley is one of the largest nature conservation sites in the county and that officers would continue working with Idle Valley Nature Trust to protect Nottinghamshire's wildlife.