Many fish were killed in a horror ‘poisoning’ at an aquatics centre in Swindon.
Staff frantically battled to save more than two dozen fish after a chemical, believed to be bleach, was added to one of their most precious and expensive tanks.
The incident happened at World of Water, in Studley Grange Garden Centre near Swindon, at around 3pm on Saturday afternoon (23 March).
The alarm was raised by a woman from Chippenham, who was visiting with her two-year-old, after she accidentally stepped on a large fish – a pleco. It’s believed the fish had jumped out of its tank in a bid to escape the poison, but it did not survive.
Talking to Wiltshire 999s, she said staff looked “distressed” as they removed the struggling fish into a bucket of water, which was filled from other tanks in the room.
She said: “We popped into World of Water to buy some fish for our tank at home. My partner was talking to the sales assistant about which fish we’d like and that’s when I stood on one.
“I was with my toddler at the time, and he was pointing at it. I honestly thought it was one of his toys at first, but then I saw blood and realised it was a pleco. It obviously died but the sales woman was so lovely and comforting.
“We all quickly realised that the fish were trying to escape the tank and that’s why it was on the floor. Then someone said it smelt strongly of bleach and everyone was told to leave the room.
“The staff, and a couple of members of the public, started removing the fish with nets, putting them into a large bucket which was being filled with water from other tanks.
“I was horrified that someone could do that and you could see the distress and horror in the faces of staff there. They were devastated by it, they really care about their fish.”
A spokesperson for World of Water said that “a number of fish appeared to be in distress” and the “strong chemical smell in the area suggested that this was a deliberate act”.
They added: “As soon as the incident was discovered, our colleagues removed the fish from the polluted system and did everything in their power to revive
them.
“Tragically, none of the Discus survived the damage caused by the chemical.
“World Of Water as a company prides itself in the fact that the wellbeing of all the livestock is, by far, our primary concern and as fish keepers themselves, the staff have been very upset by this act of completely pointless cruelty.
“We tend to have a very close relationship with our customers owing to our shared enthusiasm for fish keeping and nobody can understand why someone would do this.
“Whilst we never expected it to be necessary, security around the fish systems will now be increased. We simply cannot believe that anyone could be cruel enough to inflict such suffering on innocent creatures.
“Details have been forwarded to the police.”
