A Labour-led council has been criticised after it banned fishing at a lake as part of plans to turn it into a “biodiversity hub”.

Local anglers have been told to stop casting lines at Wingerworth Lido in Chesterfield after North East Derbyshire district council failed to renew licences.

Anglers can now be fined up to £2,500 if they use the lake for their sport.

Charles Jardine, an angler and spokesman for the Countryside Alliance, branded the move “short-sighted and illogical”, and “one that will likely have many local people reeling”.

He added: “Angling naturally creates ‘biodiversity hubs’, I dare say far more so than anything concocted by local council officers.”

“Wildlife thrives thanks to angling. I sincerely hope the council reach out to genuine conservationists, realise their error and reverse the decision”.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the Countryside Alliance argued angling, which has a raft of physical and mental health benefits, is growing in popularity thanks to popular TV Shows like Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

The BBC show, which has been running since 2018, features comedians Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse, on fishing trips across Britain.

James Duffy, who has fished at the lake for the past 13 years, told the local BBC he was “extremely disappointed”.

He said: “I’ve spent many happy years here, [have] friends who fish on here and I just think it is a real shame for the lake, especially with the effort the angling club have put into it over the years.

“Anglers look after the water quality and the surrounding area – this lake a number of years ago looked like a football pitch – 90 per cent of the lake was covered in invasive weeds and there wasn’t a lot of wildlife on here, if any.”

A council spokesman last week asked people to “refrain from fishing at the Lido while we work to install new signage in the coming weeks”.

They said it was a “vital step in promoting the area as a biodiversity hub” which the spokesman said was “a safe space for wildlife to thrive”.

A council spokesman said: “The previous five-year licence agreement with the angling association has come to a natural end and we’ve decided not to renew this.

“While we recognise the angling community’s concerns, we are looking at new management arrangements at Wingerworth Lido which reflect the council’s commitment to enhancing local wildlife and protecting the environment, as set out in our Council Plan.”

Speaking from Alway Pond in Wales, our Director for Fishing for Schools Charles Jardine added his own views: