Two weeks ago, I mentioned that a number of anglers had been seen fishing our rivers out of season and that the Environment Agency seemed to be doing very little to stop it.

The article attracted a couple of phone calls.

Pat Knowles, from Witney, told me he was walking along the Thames between Culham Bridge and Appleford, when he noticed a couple of anglers fishing by the power station outfall, which is controlled by Sutton Courtenay AC.

Pat shouted across to them that they were fishing out of season, but it appeared they didn't speak English.

He walked back to Culham Lock to report what he had seen to the lock keeper, but he had gone off shift, so he phoned the Environment Agency himself.

Pat explained the situation to a lady at the agency, who informed him that illegal river fishing was going on all over the place. She even mentioned that some of these 'anglers' were cooking the fish on the bank.

She told Pat she would try and get a bailiff to check it out, but could not promise anything.

I contacted John Percival, of the Sutton Courtenay club, and while chatting about what Pat had seen, he told me that four Polish anglers had been caught fishing on the Lower Moors by Sutton Courtenay members, who asked them to leave.

Another telephone call came from Dave Sawyer, from Kidlington, who told me he has been working near the University boathouses recently and had seen six anglers fishing where the Cherwell comes into the Thames.

It appears the lady at the Environment Agency was right when she said it is going on all over the place.

Perhaps now the EA will do something about it. After all, we do all pay £24.50 for our annual licence.