AN Evesham woman has issued a warning to animal owners to be cautious as the hot weather was set to return this week.

During last week's hot spell, Theresa Milward, of Lavender Walk, returned home to find 14 dead fish floating at the top of her pond.

The mother-of-two was devastated by her discovery. She said: "I just cried. As daft as it may sound to people, fish are pets as much as any other animal.

" I just couldn't believe it. My initial reaction was what's happened? They just looked so doped up, it was like they were suffering from heat-stroke. I started to wonder what I was doing wrong."

Mrs Milward, 48, who used to have about 50 fish of all different varieties, was shocked again when returning home the following night to find a further six had died.

"I am deeply upset that we've lost so many fish because some of them belonged to my two daughters. I just want to warn other fish owners to be extremely cautious with their fish with the temperatures increasing as the summer gets warmer."

Veterinary nurse Sarah Wootton, of Jarvis and Parsons veterinary surgery in Coopers Lane, Evesham, advised fish owners to obtain an air circulator which pumps oxygen around the pond.

She said: "With the weather being so hot, the sun lowers the oxygen levels in the water."

She added: "The best advice we'd give owners is to get an air circulator, which pumps oxygen around the pond providing oxygen for the fish to survive on."