Inebriated man trying to find his way home fell through pet shop skylight into tropical fish tank

A man plunged feet first into a fish tank after he fell through a pet shop skylight in the early hours of the morning. Initially thought to be a burglar, the man was arrested at about 3am on Sunday in an alleyway near to Aqua Pets in Tolworth southwest London after police spotted his sodden trousers.

Peter Hunt, the owner of Aqua Pets, said: “Unfortunately he ran across our flat roof which has a fibre glass lighting partition. He fell straight through and ended up in a 3ft x 3ft fish tank. The fish are alright but the guy was arrested and taken to Kingston nick where he slept the night. It was a miracle he didn’t kill himself.” He said the fish tank contained tropical fish, including angel fish, parrot fish, rainbow fish and kissing guaramis.



But he said: “No piranhas. That would have been a good story.” The man scrambled out of the tank and up through the glass roof where he was confronted by the store’s manager who lives above the shop and was woken by the crack of breaking glass. Manager Matthew Toner declined to add to the man’s embarrassment by describing him. He said: “I saw a big hole where there used to be a roof. I ran down and saw a pair of legs going through the roof.

“He told me he was trying to find his house and that he lived next door. He has admitted he was stupid and is coming in to apologise with us. I don’t want to rub it in.” Detective Inspector Justin Howick said: “He was given a caution for criminal damage. He has caused a reasonably significant amount of damage to the roof and was reckless in so doing but clearly not a burglar. I can’t remember too many people falling through a roof into a fish tank.”