The identity of a thief that has stolen more than £10,000 worth of fish from a garden pond over a four-month period has been revealed - and it's an otter!
John and Anne Newiss, who live in Hopton, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, had a laser alarm system set-up to alert them to any intruders in their back garden after some of their valuable Koi began to disappear from their 20 x 30ft pond.
The system caught the thief red-pawed on the patio, and the couple have now had to build a 3ft high fence around the pond to prevent further raids, reports Eastern Daily Press.
It’s thought that over 50 Koi have been taken since June, with the bodies of some of them being left by the pond. Most of the fish have been over 90cm/36in in length and one had been with the couple for more than 30 years.
The closest natural habitat of otters is Lound Lakes, around two miles from Hopton, but according to an expert at Suffolk Wildlife Trust, the animals have a territory of up to 40 miles, which they’ll patrol over about a week, making the village within easy reach.