Demolish your pond ... in case burglars fall in!
Ultimatum to fish fancier over ‘possible risk’
A FISH fancier claims he was ordered to remove the pond from his back garden – because it posed a danger to burglars.
Kevin Sheehan, 62, says he was told it was a ‘possible risk’ to the public because it was not visible from the other side of his fence.
The water feature, which is home to 80 fish, is surrounded by a wall of concrete blocks and the garden is enclosed by the 6ft wooden fence.
But Mr Sheehan claims his landlord, Sovereign Housing Association, com- plained when he added two tiers of concrete blocks around the edge to stop his one-year-old daughter, Olivia, falling in.
Sovereign has now threatened the father and his partner with eviction unless they demolish the pond within three weeks.
Mr Sheehan, of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, said: ‘I was thinking of my daughter’s safety. I had it at the old height for 15 years and it’s never been a problem. The reason they gave was if someone breaks in, they can fall in the pond because there’s a 6ft fence and they can’t see it.
‘I said, “Well they shouldn’t be breaking in”.’
His fish – including Koi carp, fantails and goldfish – are swimming in a smaller pond while he extends their normal home. But he has been ordered to get rid of that one too because it ‘could impact on the safety of the residents or public’.
Mr Sheehan said: ‘It’s my home, I am going to fight it as much as I can – there is no rule in the tenancy about fish ponds. I’ve got about 80 fish in the pond, where can I put these fish if I’ve not got a pond?
‘I can’t put them in the river. They can’t die because of this.’
A Sovereign spokesman said: ‘We don’t want to prevent anyone enjoying hobbies, which may include fish keeping in a pond.
‘We are talking to our insurance company and the resident about how we might resolve this.’
She did not comment on Mr Sheehan’s claims about the pond posing a risk to burglars and would not confirm if other residents had been asked to remove their ponds.