A grandmother has been left in a state of shock after finding 28 of her beloved fish floating lifeless in her garden pond, in what she believes to be a deliberate poisoning by a local she had rowed with.
Christine Whiteley, 70, was horrified to wake up one morning and discover a layer of white foam, thought to be washing detergent, across the top of her pond.
The Derbyshire resident is now considering leaving her home of 48 years in response to the incident, which saw her £25,000 pets so callously killed.
Having had some of the fish for as long as 22-years, the 70-year-old has expressed her devastation over the loss of all but one of her fish.
Convinced she knows the guilty party, Ms Whiteley alleges that it was a local resident whom she has rowed with in the past.
To Ms Whitelys horror, she awoke one morning to find a plume of white foam covering her garden pond, which was later found to be detergent
28 of Christine Whiteleys pet fish were killed when detergent was poured into the grandmothers garden pond
Christine Whitely (pictured) has expressed her shock and horror over the incident which saw her £25,000 worth of fish so callously killed
A photo of Ms Whitelys garden in the aftermath of the incident which saw all but one of her pet fish perish
Describing the morning in question, Ms Whitely recalled waking up at around 7am on October 25 and immediately entering panic stations once she realised what had happened.
Rushing to the aid of the fish, the 70-year-old grandmother frantically attempted to scoop out her prized pets from their pond.
Included amongst the 28 fish were numerous Koi Carp, which often retail in excess of £100 at aquatic stores.
Having hoisted her fish out of the foam-covered pond, Ms Whitely placed them into make-shift tanks which included her bathtub and her grandchildrens paddling pool.
Hosing them down in clean fresh water, she ultimately was able to only save one fish, who has now been renamed as Lucky.
Tending to the ponds every need for over 28 years, the destruction of her gilled friends has left Ms Whitely in a state of mourning.
Following the incident, the deceased fish were buried on a family friends nearby farm.
Having discovered her fish in the foam-covered pond, Ms Whitely placed them into make-shift tanks in a last-ditch attempt to save them
Despite her best efforts to re-home the fish in clean fresh water, all but one of Ms Whitelys fish ultimately succumbed to their poisoning
Ms Whitely had dutifully tended to her pond for 28 years, with some of her fish over two decades old
Reflecting on the incident, Ms Whitely expressed her devastation and upset.
Im missing them terribly. They werent just fish in a pond, they were all individuals and they were all pets, the grandmother stated.
Ms Whitelys daughter Laura Bates was also present on the morning of the apparent poisoning and witnessed her mothers heartbreak.
I know theyre only fish but when youve had something thats part of your life for 22 years, its bound to affect you. It was horrendous, she shared.
The mother and daughter duo also expressed their belief in knowing who the culprit was, stating: Weve known all along who we think has done it.
In the wake of the incident, Ms Whitelys family have started a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise funds to get her pond back up and running.
A family member who left a donation commented on the page: She absolutely adored her fish. She knew each fish down to its last scale. It was her passion.
Derbyshire Police have confirmed that enquiries are ongoing into the incident and have appealed for anyone with information to contact the force.