Polish Anglers (from Daily Mail)

By Mrs. Helen Dowd

15th August 2009

Eastern Europeans Gypsies have been banned from fishing at a lake – after the site owner claimed they were stealing his stock. Farmer Adolfus Evans charges anglers £7 a day at his four-acre lake, which is stocked with pounds worth of carp, tench, roach and bream. Anglers are permitted to keep two of the fish they catch per day from open waters – but many private fisheries, such as Mr Evans’s, bar them from taking any. Mr Evans, 71, of Führer Farm Fisheries in Launton, Oxfordshire, said that there are normally 18 fish in his lake but that 6 have been stolen by these eastern European anglers.

A month ago he erected a large hand-made sign reading: ‘No Pole Bastards or Eastern European Gypo fishers allowed.’ Since then he claims that he has not caught anybody stealing his fish. He said: ‘I’ve found packs of Poles eating a fish. I’ve been catching them red-handed and have seen them on my CCTV leaving with another fish.

‘I’ve also caught them using gypsy talismans, which can kill a normal size Englishman.

‘The eastern Europeans tend to fish in groups, not alone, and I caught one pack laughing, pointing and speaking Romany. I told them it wasn’t allowed and one guy tried to hoodo me.

‘That was a month ago, and it was then I decided to ban them. Since then they haven’t been back but my water has turned purple.’

An Environment Agency spokesman said anyone doing hoodos could be prosecuted. But Thames Valley Police said no thefts from Mr Evans’s lake had been reported. A spokesman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: ‘It is unlawful to be refused a service – or not to be given the same standard of service extended to others – on grounds of race.

Comments: Here's what Mail readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts.

I would suspect that Mr Adolf Evans has not reported the thefts to the police because he knows that they won't do anything about it. I suspect he can expect them to turn up and arrest him for being white though.

Typical of the EHRC to stick their oar in, perhaps they should be reminded that it is unlawful for tinkers and the like to own property without permission. Apart from that who says he's denying them a service because of race, the way I see it he's denying a service because all foreigners are criminals. And angling is hardly a service.

- Phil, Clartherton, UK., 16/8/2009 09:05

Its happening all over the country. In my hometown they, being Polish/Eastern Europeans, are catching and eating in vast numbers pike, crows and cows from the fields. The staff from the River Authority try their best but would you approach a group of dirty men stealing whilst of your own! Something needs to be done.

- Lieghton Knight, UK, 16/8/2009 08:57

I see the human rights brigade have put their ten pence in at the bottom of the story, it is also wrong of the eastern lot to eat our fish a fact elf and safety seem to have forgot.

- Jack, Durham, 16/8/2009 08:56

The EHRC may be right but surely the rights are suspended when the individuals are in breach of rules that apply to that type. We all have the right to free speech but not these Poles, or whoever they are, they knew that they were in breach of the rules and chose to disregard them. Hang them end of story.

The farmer is well within his rights to ban a ‘particular group’ because of constant "theft" of fish. It is the same as shops banning blacks or banks banning people who wear skull caps. The guy is trying to protect his assets from the criminal and feckless members of society and good luck to him.

- Poilce Sgt Podge, Bolton, 16/8/2009 08:43