SUPREME Court judges have agreed the Environment Agency was wrong to limit the number of salmon a fisherman can catch in the Severn near Lydney without compensation.

Nigel Mott of Stroat has used traditional putchers to catch salmon on the river at Lydney since 1975.

But in 2012 the Environment Agency drastically cut the number of fish he could take citing the need to conserve salmon stocks and refused compensation.

In 2016 Court of Appeal judges agreed that under human rights law the agency’s actions interfered with his right to benefit from his fishing licence.

Earlier today (Wednesday, February 14), five judges in the Supreme Court agreed the Court of Appeal had acted correctly and so rejected the Environment Agency’s appeal.

Mr Mott took about 600 salmon a year from his “rank” of putchers but he claimed the agency’s decision to reduce the number to 30 a year made his licence virtually worthless.

For the full story see next week’s Review.