Lead Weights and the Law

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Ask on any forum whether lead is legal and you’ll get three different answers: all of it is banned, only on certain waters, or anything under an ounce. None of them is right. The lead fishing weights law in England and Wales lets you use lead split shot of 0.06g or less (size 8 and smaller) and lead weights of more than 28.35g (1oz). Lead in between is the problem.

There are two layers to it: a law on selling lead weights and a rule on using them. The EU lead ban in the news is a third thing, and it is not UK law.

Which Lead Weights Are Legal? Sizes and Grams

You only need to remember one number at each end. The Environment Agency’s national rod fishing byelaws say you must not use any lead weight attached to a fishing line unless it is 0.06g (size 8) or less, or more than 28.35g (1 ounce).

GOV.UK puts the same rule in shot terms on its tackle you can use page: lead shot sizes 14 to 8, plus lead weights over 1 ounce. So in England and Wales the legal lead shot sizes are No.8 and smaller. Anything bigger, from No.6 up through BB, AAA and SSG, sits above 0.06g and is not allowed.

The top end catches people out too. The wording is “more than” 28.35g, so a lead must be over 1oz. Most leger bombs, feeder leads and carp leads clear it. A 3/4oz lead bomb does not, and neither does a lead weighing exactly 1oz.

Weight	Lead allowed?	Note
0.06g or less (shot size 8 and smaller, such as 10, 12 and 14)	Yes	Lead dust shot must be kept in a spill-proof container
Over 0.06g up to 28.35g (shot bigger than size 8, small leads up to 1oz)	No	Use a non-lead weight instead
More than 28.35g (over 1oz)	Yes	Covers most leger, feeder and carp leads

Our guide to the types of fishing leads and weights covers what each one does. The legal test is short: if a weight is lead and sits between a No.8 and an ounce, it should not be on your line.

Selling vs Using: The Two Rules Behind the Lead Ban

Plenty of lead ban articles still date the law to 1987 without saying that England replaced it in 2015. The rules on selling lead and fishing with it also sit in different places.

The sale law

The Control of Pollution (Anglers’ Lead Weights) Regulations 1986 took effect on 1 January 1987 and banned supplying lead weights in the restricted range. The aim was to protect birds, mainly mute swans, that swallow lost weights.

For England, those Regulations were revoked and replaced by the Environmental Protection (Anglers’ Lead Weights) (England) Regulations 2015, in force from 1 July 2015. The thresholds are the same. Anyone supplying split shot is presumed to be supplying it for weighting fishing lines unless they show otherwise, and “supply” does not include export. The offence carries a fine on summary conviction.

The bankside rule

What you can attach to your line is a separate matter: the EA byelaws above in England, and in Wales Natural Resources Wales’s guidance on using rods and lead.

Banned sizes still turn up online. In 2021 Angling Times reported an angler alarmed by how many were listed on sites such as eBay, and the advice was to buy from UK tackle shops.

The seller is exposed under the sale law. You break the byelaw if you fish with it. For the wider picture, see our guide to freshwater fishing rules in England.

What the Rule Does Not Cover: Lures, Flies, Feeders and Lead-Cored Line

Inherit an old tackle box and you’ll find a jumble of shot, small bombs and weighted lures, none of it labelled. The exemptions narrow it down fast.

The EA byelaw does not include lead in a weighted line, swim-feeder, fishing fly or lure. The 2015 Regulations exclude lead fully enclosed in the core of a fishing line, or built into a swim-feeder, self-cocking float or fishing fly. NRW lists lead built into lures and weighted flies, and lead inside lead-cored lines, swim feeders and self-cocking floats.

Run each item through four checks:

Is it lead? Non-lead weights are not caught by the rule at any size.
If it’s lead, what does it weigh? It needs to be 0.06g or less, or over 28.35g.
Is the lead built into something? A lure, fly, swim-feeder, self-cocking float or lead-cored line falls outside the rule.
What do the local rules say? Check the water’s byelaws and your club rules before you fish.

Loose lead that sits between the two thresholds, such as a pot of BB shot or a 1/2oz bomb, should be swapped for non-lead or left at home. Our guide to terminal tackle such as swivels, feeders and leads covers the replacements.

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: Do the Rules Differ?

“UK rules” on lead are really four answers, and only two of them are confirmed by an official use rule.

Nation	Rule on selling	Rule on using
England	2015 England Regulations	EA national byelaws: 0.06g or less, or over 28.35g
Wales	legislation.gov.uk shows the 1986 Regulations revoked for England only, so the 1986 supply rules appear to remain	NRW: same thresholds, with separate emergency byelaws on the River Severn and its tributaries in Wales
Scotland	The 1986 Regulations show an extent covering Scotland and are not marked revoked there	No official use rule found. Check with the fishery, club or district salmon fishery board
Northern Ireland	The 1986 rules were originally made for Northern Ireland too, per the 1993 Amendment Regulations	Current position not confirmed. Check with DAERA and the fishery owner

Licence rules also differ by nation, as our page on fishing licences in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland explains. The full set sits in our UK fishing rules hub.

Outside England and Wales, ask the water owner before you tie on lead.

Is a Full Lead Ban Coming? The EU Rule and the UK Position

The lead ban in the fishing headlines is narrower than it sounds, and it isn’t ours.

What the EU has agreed

The European Commission’s draft amending REACH Annex XVII on lead in fishing tackle reached the Council on 30 April 2026. It restricts sales of fishing weights, lures and fishing wires containing 1% or more lead by weight. Weights over 1kg are exempt. Split shot of 0.06g or less can still be sold in spill-proof, child-resistant packaging.

Only commercial use is restricted. The draft leaves recreational use to member states, saying a recreational ban would be very difficult to enforce. The European Parliament rejected an objection to the measure on 8 July 2026. At the time of writing (October 2026), Official Journal publication was unconfirmed, so check EUR-Lex.

Where the UK stands

EU REACH does not apply in Great Britain. The HSE’s UK REACH registry of restriction intentions lists lead only for ammunition, and its 2025-26 work programme does not mention lead or fishing tackle. Nothing checked shows a GB lead fishing ban in the pipeline.

Lead free fishing weights

The EU dossier lists brass, concrete, pebbles, steel, tin, zinc and tungsten as alternatives, and notes that brass and zinc also harm the environment. Bismuth shot is another option. Lead free fishing weights of any size are outside the lead rule.

For now, nothing changes on UK banks.

Frequently asked questions

Are lead fishing weights illegal in the UK?

Not all of them. In England and Wales you can use lead weights of 0.06g or less (shot size 8 and smaller) or more than 28.35g (1oz), but nothing in between. Wales applies the same thresholds through Natural Resources Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland are not confirmed, so check with the fishery.

What is the penalty for selling banned lead weights?

In England, supplying them is an offence under the 2015 Regulations, punishable by a fine on summary conviction. The Regulations do not set a pound figure, so older articles quoting 2,000 or 5,000 pounds are not a reliable guide to the current penalty.

Are the 1986 lead weight regulations still in force?

Not in England, where the 2015 England Regulations replaced them from 1 July 2015. legislation.gov.uk shows that revocation applies to England only, and the 1986 rules are not shown as revoked for Wales or Scotland.

Do I need a special container for lead dust shot?

Yes. GOV.UK says lead dust shot containers must be spill proof. Keep it in a sealed dispenser, not a loose pot that can tip over on the bank.