More than 50 illegal fish nets and traps which pose a danger to wildlife have been seized from East Anglia's rivers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Environment Agency says it retrieved a rising number of unlicensed fishing devices from the region during the ten months from March 2020 to December 2020.
They are used to trap eels, crayfish, water voles, otters and coarse fish but are a "significant risk to wildlife and fish stocks", says the agency.
Of the 52 seized in East Anglia, 12 were found in Norfolk, 14 in Suffolk, and 26 in Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire.
The figures were much higher than in 2019, when a total of 30 traps were seized across the region during the whole year.
The agency was alerted by members of the public who spotted the traps and phoned an illegal fishing incident hotline number.
Lesley Robertson, enforcement team leader for Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk said: "Traps and nets can often be seen from the river bank, and identified by a rope tied to the bankside.
“We are very grateful to those who report these illegal traps. Without that information, illegal traps and nets might still be there causing damage to wildlife.
“We encourage the public to keep their eyes peeled for any suspicious fishing activities and to call us on our incident hotline 0800 80 70 60 with details, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
“Our officers are regularly out patrolling the river banks and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where anglers are found to be flouting the rules.”
Fisheries enforcement officers said they have continued their work to protect wildlife and the environment during the coronavirus pandemic, while observing social distancing rules.
They said some of the seized illegal nets were homemade and others would have been purchased, but none had the required Environment Agency licence - part of the strict rules governing the trapping or fishing for species such as crayfish, eels, salmon, sea trout and lamprey.
- All sightings of illegal nets or traps must be reported to the EA hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
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