A man who tried to steal a fish from a garden centre in County Durham told police he thought it would be able to survive for 24 hours out of water!
The 21-year-old scooped the £70 Ghost carp from its pond at Elm Ridge garden centre in Darlington, putting it into a small sports bag hidden underneath his jacket.
Luckily for the fish, the man was detained by staff at the garden centre and Darlington Police were called.
Officers discovered the fish in the bag under his coat and it was quickly returned to the pond, reportedly with no ill-effects.
The man was given a £90 fixed penalty notice and will be required to write a letter of apology to the staff at the garden centre.
PC Mark Gilchrist told Darlington and Stockton Times: "The job was dealt with very e’fish’ently!"
Why not take out a subscription to Practical Fishkeeping magazine? See our latest subscription offer.
Don't forget that PFK is now available to download on the iPad/iPhone.