Thousands of pounds worth of fish died after electricity was cut off in the house of a man who had passed away. Harry Wilson lived on Hobsic Close in Brinsley, Nottinghamshire before he died aged 85 in August 2020 following a battle with cancer.
Mr Wilson had around 50 fish, including koi carp and ghost koi in a pond at his home. According to granddaughter Kelly Hart, these fish were worth thousands of pounds in total, hold sentimental value to the family and were heirlooms. The fish in the pond are freshwater fish, meaning they need clean water to live, which in this case was managed by an electrical pump and a UV light to kill any harmful bacteria.
Kelly says there have been a number of problems with Mr Wilson's will, which is why the family is not in control of the property, and she claims it's managed by a number of solicitor firms.
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Kelly, 45, is a full-time carer that lives in Derbyshire, and her father Stephen Wilson lives in Mexico. She says she received a call from a former neighbour of Mr Wilson's towards the end of May to say workers from energy firm British Gas wanted to gain access over an unpaid energy bill.
On Saturday (June 18), Kelly visited the property and she fed the fish who were all alive and well.
But on Monday (June 20), she received another call from a neighbour to say the postman had told them that all the fish were dead. This was because the electricity was cut, says Kelly, and the pond had become dirty, meaning the fish could not survive.
Kelly said: "I raced there when I got the call, and sure enough every single one was dead, it was absolutely horrendous. I was personally taking care of them before but the electricity was cut.
"It was heart-breaking to see. We've done our best to bury them and lay them to rest, they've been there for 30 years or so.
"It's really upsetting when someone in the family dies, and I was living with my grandfather during his last few weeks to look after him. We've been facing a two year battle to get closure. Things have been so complicated. It's been an absolute nightmare."
Kelly says British Gas recently installed a pay-as-you-go meter at the property. Kelly says she offered to pay the outstanding bill before the electricity was cut.
Kelly said: "There should be compensation and an apology from this, someone needs to hold their hands up There were fish at the property yet the electricity was still cut off.
"We're not just upset, we're very angry and feel very let down. It's not acceptable to treat a family like this through grief and dismiss the fact that they're fish."
Simpson Solicitors said that the situation was nothing to do with them.
“Whilst we are sorry to hear what has happened, the estate in question is not being controlled by Simpson Solicitors, therefore we are not responsible for paying any bills of the estate,” said a spokesperson.
British Gas were contacted for a comment.
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