JAILED Chorley golfer John Collinson, nicknamed the 'Whetstone One' by supporters, has received hundreds of messages of support since he was imprisoned for stealing balls from a golf course lake.

But reaction from the East Lancashire golfing fraternity has been mixed, with little support for the 36-year-old.

Collinson was jailed for six months on Friday for theft after he was caught in the middle of the night at Whetstone golf course having just collected 1,158 golf balls worth around £500.

Many believed the sentence to be harsh and out of proportion to the crime, even though Collinson continued to dive for balls while on bail.

But Barry Thomason, secretary of Nelson golf club, disagreed.

He said: "I don't see what the fuss is all about. He was on private land and he wasn't entitled to be there.

"If he'd gone on to a farmer's land and taken something there wouldn't be any question.

"The balls belong to the golf club. If it was a member it might be different but then members are entitled to be on the course."

Gerry Dixon, secretary at Accrington Golf Club, thought the jailing was harsh, and said: "If that is theft then what would happen to a golfer whose ball goes in a pond and then when he goes to retrieve it he picks up a different ball?

"But that is different because that would be members. I'm not saying he should have been jailed, a warning maybe.

"It was a bit silly to go back when he was on bail, but people do things like that.

"I used to prosecute people who didn't have TV licenses and the things some people did were amazing.

"One guy thought he didn't have to have a TV license because his TV was Japanese."

He added: "I don't think diving for golf balls would happen at Accrington. If anyone tried to go diving in our ponds they would probably freeze to death!"

Gary Coope, the club professional at Mytton Fold, said the practice of diving for golf balls was beneficial to clubs. "It's a difficult one because I buy my balls off a guy from Chorley who goes diving himself, although I don't think they are connected," he said.

"It is beneficial to us because it keeps the cost down.

"I think the way it was done was naughty because he didn't have permission.

"It would be frowned upon here I think, by myself and the owners, but I don't think the club would object if someone wrote to them and asked."

At Duxbury Park a diver in similar circumstances has been warned to stay away but council officials said they were taking no further action.

David Jones, head of leisure services at Chorley Council, said: "We have served notice on someone not to trespass on Duxbury Golf Course with the intention of retrieving balls.

"We are not taking any further action. Our principal concern is trespassing and the safety issue of people wandering around the course."