Illegal anglers have stolen fish worth £8,000 from private fishing lakes in Chartham.

Police investigating the theft of the mirror carp are warning anglers not to fish on private land unless they have permission.

The theft took place 7pm and 8.30pm on Monday, August 8.

The stolen fish are worth £8,000, say police,

Sgt Paul Barrell said: "If anyone saw anything suspicious around that time, I would ask them to contact us.

"The owners of the grounds believe this is not the first time this has occurred so I would like to remind anglers that it is an offence to fish without the proper licence, and it can be considered theft if you try to remove fish from privately-owned water without permission.

"You should expect to pay a fee to fish on private waters and you should abide by the rules, do not trespass and many fishing pools ask that you catch and release the fish afterwards."

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Kent Police on 01843 222289 quoting ZY/27465/16.