Ornamental fish stolen by thieves

Koi carp can be worth thousands of pounds

Twelve Japanese koi carp and an orfe fish, worth hundreds of pounds, have been stolen from a pond and fountain business on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

The thieves struck between 1700 BST on Monday and 0900 BST on Tuesday on the Dalmeny Estate near Cramond Brig Hotel.

Filters and pumps were also stolen from the isolated farm.

Police believe the theft had been planned in advance because of the specialist equipment needed to remove and transport the fish.

'Reasonably valuable'

The fish are about 16in long with an average weight of 3kg.

A Lothian and Borders Police spokeswoman said: "We are keen to speak to anyone who may have been in the vicinity of the Dalmeny Estate on Monday or Tuesday morning and who might recall seeing something suspicious.

"The fish are reasonably valuable and many collectors would be willing to buy them.

"If anyone has information about individuals offering koi carp fish for sale they should contact police."