Storm 'sucked all the water' from garden pond

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A pondkeeper from Dorset lost 22in of water from her garden pond, after an intense storm on Friday night "sucked all the water out".

Celia Marker lives in the village of St Ives and her 2.5 x 3m pond is home to around 60 Koi and goldfish. They were left swimming about in just 10in of water following the storm. Ms Marker noticed the problem early on Saturday morning and fearing there had been a leak, rushed out in her nightdress and turned on the hosepipe to refill the pond.

But there was no sign of a leak in the liner.

Ms Marker told Bournemouth Echo: "I phoned the Met Office and they said if there was a mini tornado and high winds then this could happen. It is like the storm sucked all the water out.

"But I’m relieved all the fish are okay — and the pump and waterfall are still working too."

The storm led to flash floods and fires in some areas of Dorset and the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service handled more than 120 calls in two hours.

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