By Sam Mayhew.
Fish stocks from our lakes and rivers are being stripped to the point of near collapse by poachers from Poland and Eastern Europe.

Many private and commercial lake owners are angry that they have spent thousands of pounds stocking these lakes to provide an income from day ticket holders and club members, only to have their stock taken for food.

The inflow of Eastern Europeans arriving in Britain is putting huge pressure on stocks of coarse fish native to British waterways such as the Tench, Pike, Bream and even Carp, which are a particular favourite of choice for Christmas dinner among the Eastern European community.

Anglers are horrified that when they arrive at their local stretch of water they find that the fish have been netted or that the club lake they belong has had fish, such as the Big Ghost Carp, caught and barbecued on the bank the previous night.

The methods used by the poachers, such as tying lines to trees and even harpoons and netting are illegal and this is forcing some long-standing anglers to give up their memberships.

But it’s not just fish that the poachers want.

Swans and other birds have been dragged from the water and clubbed to death and also being cooked on the bank and casually eaten! This might be part of the Eastern European culture but it is not ours!

Elizabeth I passed a law prohibiting the consumption of Swans which is still in force today, making it an integral part of British Tradition.

Anyone found attacking a swan can and should be sentenced to six months in prison and fined £5.000.

The Environmental Agency simply cannot cope with the scale of the issue and when poachers are caught police prosecutions are few and far between, a classic example of the authorities pandering to other cultures at the expense of ours, allowing immigrants to run wild continuing with their old customs.