Council uses surveillance powers to spy on 'illegal' fishing in Poole Harbour

A council used powers originally designed to combat terrorism to spy on fishermen, it emerged today.

Covert surveillance was used to catch any fishermen illegally gathering shellfish in Poole Harbour, Dorset.

The Borough of Poole said it had carried out surveillance on 17 separate occasions under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) since 2005.

It follows the controversy over the case of Jenny Paton and her partner Tim Joyce who were spied on for nearly three weeks.

The couple were snooped on after the Borough of Poole wrongly suspected they had lied about living in the catchment area for Lilliput First School.

The same council has made similar checks on two other families in the last year.

The council said today it has also used the powers, originally intended to combat terrorism, to determine if fishermen were illegally gathering shellfish in Poole Harbour, to detect underage alcohol sales, to find out who damaged a barrier and who vandalised a door entry system.

The powers have also been used to detect neighbourhood nuisance and anti-social behaviour, substantiate benefit claims and monitor suspected drug dealers.

Tim Martin, head of legal and democratic services at the council, said: "The council uses legal powers to investigate and prosecute those individuals who attempt to break the law, damage our local communities or threaten Poole's natural environment.

"In many cases, the council has used these powers to respond to residents' concerns or to information gathered by council officers or other agencies.

"Without these powers, the council would be less able to provide the same level of reassurance and protection for the vast majority of law-abiding residents in Poole."

Council officers and other enforcement agencies carried out four snooping missions to monitor potentially illegal fishing activities in Poole Harbour.

They remain the subject of continuing criminal investigations.

"Illegal shellfish dredging can cause harm to the conservation of stocks in the harbour and could also lead to a potentially serious public health risk if illegally fished stock is not fit for consumption," added Mr Martin.

Harvesting shellfish such as clams and cockles from Poole Harbour is banned by the Food Standards Agency because of pollution.