£60k collection of 'monster' fish lost in floods

A man who lost his prized collection of "monster" fish in the New Year's Day floods has said he is "heartbroken" after they died in polluted water.

The ground floor of Craig Anderson's home in Wigan was inundated in the deluge on 1 January, which submerged the tanks where he kept them.

He said he had warned firefighters to keep out of the water as some of the fish, which included stingrays, catfish, West African lungfish, had escaped and were "potentially dangerous".

The 26-year-old said only five fish remained from his 2,500-strong collection, which had been worth more than £60,000.

Mr Anderson said he had rescued "monster" fish across the north-west of England that had "grown too big for their current homes".

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he holds a dangerous animals licence and gives lectures about the creatures to schools and colleges.

His home around Templeton Road and Walthew Lane in Platt Bridge was one of several properties in the area badly flooded on New Year's Day.

"I'm still dealing with lots of dead fish which are in the fish room at the back of the house and the tanks which are mostly wrecked," he said.

"These fish are greatly loved and I believe my rescue provided great support for the fish-keeping community."

Mr Anderson, a former lorry driver, who made caring for the fish his full-time job, said what happened on New Year's Day "was heartbreaking".

He has launched an online fundraising campaign to help him rebuild his stock.