POLICE are looking for a professional gang which used specialist equipment to steal over £4,000 worth of ornamental fish from a pond in the grounds of the Dunkirk Memorial Retirement Home, Bishops Lydeard.

The 40ft circular pool contained at least ten koi carp, some up to 18 inches long and worth about £300 each, plus smaller carp and 30 to 40 other types of fish.

Some of the biggest carp had been in the pond for up to 15 years.

“The fish were the pride and joy of many of the residents,” said Bert Pearson, a member of the home’s house committee and chairman of Williton branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL).

“They would sit by the pool for hours feeding the fish and enjoying the peaceful surroundings. It gave them so much pleasure - how heartless can these thieves be?

“The police believe it was a professional job and that the thieves had sussed out the pond beforehand and knew exactly what it contained.

“We are told there is a lucrative market for valuable fish, particularly carp, and the thieves probably had a buyer even before they were stolen.”

The thieves are thought to have used a stunning device attached to fishing rods and then transported the fish in tanks. Some of the older carp did not survive and were left behind.

The RBL home, which has around 100 residents, is to increase security in the gardens by installing floodlights and CCTV cameras.

The home is now hoping for donations to restock the pond in time for summer when residents spend sunny days at the waterside.