A Putney woman claims seven carp worth £3,000 died in her pond after a Heathrow-bound aircraft deposited fuel into her garden overnight.

Folla Cann was shocked to find her five prized Koi and two grass carp floating dead in the pond of her Upper Richmond Road home earlier this month.

Mrs Cann, who lives under the Heathrow flightpath, found the garden's paving stones and pond were covered in a mystery black, oily and sticky substance.

Wandsworth Council environmental health officers believe that callous vandals killed the fish but Mrs Caan disagrees.

She said: "There is no way that they could have been poisoned, even if anyone did not like me. There is no reason why this oil could be there - it just has to have come from an aircraft."

Mrs Cann added: "The fish were beautiful, friendly and decorative and now they are all dead. They were perfectly well the night before but next morning the whole area stunk. It was such a shock."

John Stewart, from pressure group Hacan Clearskies, said people living near Heathrow often reported a thin film of grease and oil forming on their cars and property overnight.

He said that annually there were around 20 cases of objects dropping from planes near the airport.

Mr Stewart added: "Airlines don't admit they get rid of fuel before they land but if they did it over Putney there would be an outcry. It's just a possibility something dropped from a plane over her house."

The Civil Aviation Authority, which keeps reports of objects which have fallen from aircraft, refused to comment.

July 12, 2002 10:00