HEARTLESS thieves have left an 85-year-old Dalton widow distressed after they stole all 40 of her goldfish from her garden pond.

Dorothy Rigg was baffled on Sunday morning when the black, white and orange-coloured fish put in by her late husband about 15 years ago did not surface to feed.

The £800-worth of fish were last seen by Mrs Rigg’s daughter, Ruth Dickinson on Saturday at about 5pm and were found to be missing by the pensioner at 11am the next day.

Mrs Rigg, of Beckside Road, Dalton, said: “I went out to feed them in the morning like I do every day. I can’t believe they’re all gone.

“I don’t think I’ll bother getting any more.”

Her late husband Thomas, who died 10 years ago, set up the front garden pond and some of the fish had grown to eight inches long.

Mrs Rigg said they were company for her as she lives alone.

She said: “They’re goldfish so they grow to the size of their tank. I would rather have given them away than have them stolen from me.”

Wire netting is kept over the pond to prevent cats and other predators from getting to the fish or falling into the water.

Mrs Rigg said: “It’s not going to be a cat or bird which has moved it to get to the fish so it’s got to have been a person. They took every last one of them. Some of them were quite small and they must have been sleeping when they were taken.”

Her daughter has spoken of her mum’s distress and hopes police find the culprits.

She said: “I just hope the fish have gone to a good home. My mum would sit out there in the garden and just watch the fish and take care of them. It was her hobby and company for her.

“I hope the person who did it is caught. They had to have planned it and would have had to come all the way up her drive to get into her garden.”

Cumbria police are investigating the theft and are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.