Fish deaths at pub prompt pond warning

Staff said they wanted to protect the fish

Staff at a pub in Derbyshire are urging visitors to stop throwing coins and litter into its pond after three koi carp died in the last five months.

Notices have been put up at The Fishpond, in Matlock Bath, warning that every coin thrown into the pond "contaminates the water and kills our fish".

Liley Henderson-Hirst, the pub's events manager, said: "It's a plea really - we just want to save our fish because we love them, and our customers love them."

Rob Whittell, chairman of The British Koi-Keepers Society, told the BBC: "Any metals are not good for carp."

Notices have been put up around the pond

Ms Henderson-Hirst said there was about £130 worth of coins in the water when the pond was last cleared out two months ago.

She said a koi specialist told staff that the chemicals in the coins were killing the fish.

But staff are finding more than just coins in the pond, Ms Henderson-Hirst said.

They have found "all sorts" in the water previously, she added, and said that people putting things in the pond had "got worse recently".

Ms Henderson-Hirst said staff checked the pond for litter every night and tried to remove items "as fast as possible".

She added: "We have had notices on the wall throughout the years but we have had to put more round the pond."

Staff at the pub clear the coins out of the pond about five times a year, Ms Henderson-Hirst said

Ms Henderson-Hirst said the fish were getting an illness called koi pox, and developing ulcers on their skin.

Pub staff have been putting a treatment in the pond which they said was recommended by the specialist they had spoken to.

Ms Henderon-Hirst said of the five fish left, one had a little sore but the others looked "really healthy".

"Hopefully we’ve stopped it with this treatment," she added.

Mr Whittell told the BBC that the coins could have been a contributing factor to the deaths of the fish.

He said: "Copper is not ideal and is toxic to fish.

"In fact any metals can cause problems."

However, he said there was "not always a single cause".

"We would ask that you don’t throw anything into koi ponds, simple dipping your hands should also be avoided," he added.