The Environment Agency is reminding anglers of the importance of having a rod licence after three men were handed hefty fines for fishing illegally in separate offences.

They were caught during targeted patrols by Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officers.

• On 16 April this year, Adrian Faife, 59, of Gairloch Road, Camberwell, London, was found fishing for eels or freshwater fish at Aldin Fishing Lakes, Durham without a licence.
• On 30 April 2017, Sylwester Michneiwicz, 37, of Roker Avenue, Sunderland, was caught trout fishing at Derwent Reservoir, Consett, without a license.
• On 1 May this year, Jordan Mark Aldworth, 22, of St Johns Walk, Escomb, Bishop Auckland, was found fishing for trout at Grassholme Reservoir, Middleton In Teesdale.

Each was fined a total of £611, ordered to pay costs of £127 and a victim surcharge of £44.

The offences were all proved in absence at County Durham and Darlington Magistrates’ Court on 13 September.

The Environment Agency’s Fisheries Technical Specialist for the North East, Kevin Summerson, said:

It is wrong for anglers to think they can avoid paying for a licence. Those that do are cheating their fellow anglers.

Environment Agency Fisheries Officers are out checking licences almost every day of the year at all times of day. It’s just not worth it to fish without the appropriate licence. The most a coarse and trout licence costs is £45, which would cover an angler for one year from the date of purchase and, where conditions permit, allow the angler to fish with up to three rods.

With what it has cost these anglers in fines, costs and victim surcharge they could have fished legally for over 10 years.

All income from rod licence sales is used to fund Environment Agency work to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries, including improving habitats for fish and facilities for anglers, tackling illegal fishing and working with partners to encourage people to give fishing a go.

Buying a rod licence is quick and easy – you can buy them online at the Post Office.

The Environment Agency urges anyone to report illegal fishing by calling 0800 80 70 60.

This guidance is intended for manufacturers, developers and notified bodies to highlight the important influence human factors have on patient safety. The advice is also relevant to device components of drug-device combination products that are regulated as medicines.

Although it seeks to clarify regulatory expectations of medical devices marketed in the UK, the guidance does not represent a compliance requirement.

An engaging multi-disciplinary stakeholder day on human factors and the implications for patient safety led to the formation of the Human Factors Task and Finish group. The group was chaired by Dr Peter Nightingale, who is also the chair of MHRA Devices Expert Advisory Group (DEAC) and Tony Sant, group manager in the Devices Division, MHRA.

Membership was drawn from MHRA, academia, industry, NHS Improvement, NICE, notified bodies, professional associations and trade bodies, and the resulting guidance is the collective effort of that group and of feedback from further stakeholder engagement and the public consultation of a first draft published in June 2016.

In simple terms, ‘human factors’ refers to how a person will interact with the system surrounding them, including the technology they use. Human factors takes into account the environment, user population and potential competing distractions.

John Wilkinson, MHRA Devices director, praised the collaborative effort to produce the guidance.

“Medical devices are becoming ever more complex and diverse, encompassing drug-device combinations and companion diagnostics.

“Patient care is increasingly being transferred from hospitals to patient homes and community settings. As these developments occur the potential for use error increases. We recognise this and have collaborated with partners to produce the first UK guidance on human factors.”

This guidance will complement the work being carried out by the NHS to apply human factors approaches in the design of healthcare workplaces and practices.

View the complete guidance.

Find us on Twitter @MHRAgovuk #ThinkPatientSafety

The plans will increase capacity at junction 8 of the M27 and Windhover roundabout, as well as upgrades to 25 junctions along the A3024. Improved safety, upgrades to two railway bridges and better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists are also part of the proposals.

An outline of Highways England’s plans for improvements for the eastern access corridor.

A consultation on the proposals starts today and runs until the end of October. Drivers, local people and people who rely on the route for business are all encouraged to get involved and have their say.

Highways England Project Manager Joe Clark said:

These are an ambitious set of improvements, and are the result of Highways England and local authorities working together to develop a joined up set of improvements that will deliver real benefits to drivers and people living and working in Southampton and Hampshire.

This proposed scheme will not only improve safety and improve congestion, but also help to boost the economy and support the potential development of homes and jobs in the local area, as well as future growth at Southampton Port. We want people to get involved and I urge anyone interested in the scheme to come along to one of our exhibitions or send us their feedback by picking up a leaflet or visiting the project website.

Hampshire County Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, Councillor Rob Humby, said:

The County Council very much welcomes the proposed investment by Highways England to M27 Junction 8 and Windhover roundabout designed to improve the flow of traffic and address congestion and safety issues.

This is a busy motorway junction which is in need of improvement and the project demonstrates what can be achieved by effective collaboration between the County Council, Highways England an Southampton City Council for the benefit of Hampshire residents. I would encourage people to take part in the consultation, so that local views can be heard in finalising the details of the scheme.

Councillor Jacqui Rayment, Southampton City Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport said:

The M27 Southampton Junctions scheme will look to improve the route into the east of Southampton from the M27 via junction 8, Windhover Roundabout and the A3024 corridor, consisting of Northam Road, Bitterne Road West and Bursledon Road, through to the Six Dials junction in the city centre.

This is a great opportunity to improve the wider transport infrastructure on the main routes in and out of Southampton for residents, commuters and visitors. The scheme will aim to reduce congestion, improve journey times and traffic flow, improve road safety, maximise opportunities for sustainable travel and support long-term sustainable economic growth.

This has the potential to be hugely beneficial for the city and I would urge people to take a few minutes to have their say in the consultation before it finishes on 31 October 2017.

The plans include:

• M27 junction 8 and Windhover roundabout: All approaches to the junctions will be widened, with improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists
• A3024 corridor: Improvements at 25 junctions along this four and a half mile stretch, including to the cycling and walking facilities along the corridor and for crossings and junction widening at key junctions. This will also help buses run more reliably and efficiently
• Northam Road rail bridge: Replacement of this single carriageway bridge that crosses the main South Western railway lines near to St Marys Stadium. The new bridge will include two lanes in each direction with improvements to pedestrian and cycle facilities
• Bitterne rail bridge: This bridge, a wide single carriageway bridge on the A3024 Bitterne Road West at Bitterne train station will be upgraded to include new separated adjacent pedestrian and cycle facilities with wider footpaths

Highways England is holding eight information exhibitions at venues across Southampton so that people can examine the proposals and put any questions directly to the project team.

A visualisation of the new Northam Road Rail Bridge on the A3024 in Southampton

Funding for the scheme comes from the Government’s £15bn Roads Investment Strategy, announced in 2014, which is providing people with better journeys, cutting congestion and improving the economy.

All responses to the consultation will be carefully considered before an announcement is made on a preferred route this winter. Subject to a successful outcome, construction could start as early as 2020 and is expected to take two years.

Details on the proposals and feedback forms will be available online from today until 11:45pm on 31 October 2017.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

It is the first time fuel bikes have been used by Highways England while a major repair scheme is underway in England.

Since the 1 August this year, there have already been 17 fuel related incidents recorded.

Highways England is working closely with recovery service firm Egertons Recovery to manage the service.

Fuel bike and traffic officer

Highways England project manager, Alastair Warnes, said:

Since the contraflow came into effect, we’ve already seen a number of fuel-related breakdowns in the roadworks section. In fact, on the very first day of the contraflow coming into effect, the first breakdown was caused by someone that had run out of fuel.

This type of situation can cause delays for fellow motorists. Safety is our top imperative and we’re calling on motorists to do their bit and ensure they have plenty of fuel for the journey before setting off.

We’re always there to help motorists who need it in an emergency and by offering this type of assistance we’re able to minimise disruption to others driving through the roadworks.

The major repair scheme, valued at more than £100 million, includes concrete repairs and waterproofing on the ageing M5 Oldbury Viaduct in the West Midlands.

To keep the motorway open, a contraflow system is in place with traffic currently using the northbound carriageway and two lanes operating in each direction, along with a 30mph speed limit. This means that motorcycles can reach motorists quicker with fuel to reduce delays and traffic flowing.

Motorists are also being reminded to consider using alternative routes while the vital work takes place. At the link between the M6 and the M5 southbound, one lane leads onto the M5, with three lanes continuing onto the M6, to encourage drivers to take the alternative route around Birmingham.

On the M5 northbound at junction 4a one lane continues onto the M5 through the junction while still providing two lanes to the M42.

The dynamic hard shoulder sections on either side of the M42 and on the M6 are currently being opened much earlier than usual and left on later to see if this helps traffic. The dynamic hard shoulder is used by traffic when the motorway is at its busiest.

Slip roads at junctions 1 and 2 on the M5 are being kept open, to ease effects on the local network, but drivers are advised to expect delays.

The work continues until autumn 2018, with some minor work continuing into spring 2019.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.