The RSPCA has issued an urgent warning to new and inexperienced anglers after a surge in cases of animals injured by 'fishing litter' like old line, weights and barbed hooks.
The charity said the number of calls last year reporting incidents almost doubled over the summer, rocketing by 97 per cent.
There were 186 reports made in July, compared to 94 in January. The RSPCA said it received 1,245 calls about fishing tackle across England and Wales throughout 2022, with around half of all calls made between June and September. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. Greater Manchester was named as a hot-spot area by the charity, with 71 calls received.
In April, a young swan was left with a 'permanent hole' after a fishing hook with a ball weight attached went through the bird's beak and pierced its tongue.