MINDLESS vandals poured detergent into a Clevedon town centre pond - causing scores of fish to die

MINDLESS vandals poured detergent into a Clevedon town centre pond - causing scores of fish to die.Hooligans threw the liquid into the pond at Queens Square early on Thursday night, turning the water into a frothing foam.The bubbles meant that the fish - some of which had lived in there for years - were left gasping for breath.Fire crews from Clevedon were called to the scene by the RSPCA and managed to scrape out a large amount of the foam from the water. Firemen and passers-by pulled the fish from the pond and took them home in a bid to save them.Despite valiant efforts, a number of fish still died.The vandal attack has upset town leaders who say more attention needs to be paid to the town centre shopping area to prevent repeat attacks.Clevedon Local Action Team (LAT) chairman Patrick McNeill said: "The mess was horrendous and it was very sad watching the fish in the pond, gasping for breath."It is such a shame as some of the fish were gold carp and had been in there for some time. "The area looks a mess and it has been let go to an extent that it gives the impression that no one cares"If the vandals think no one does care, then the area is fair game."The LAT is always complaining about the cleanliness of the area and the fact that the bins are not emptied regularly."It just looks a pigsty down there."The square is jointly managed by North Somerset Council and company DTZ.A spokesman for DTZ said: "We are responsible for the canopy area by the shops and the pond. "We are not going to restock the pond with fish following this incident."This is the second time this sort of thing has happened and last time fire extinguishers were set off in the pond."We spent £400 on re-stocking the pond last year."It is very sad someone has done this."North Somerset Council spokesman Zoe Briffitt said a team would be going out to inspect Queens Square following the attack.Mrs Briffitt said: "We are not aware of any decline in the area."Staff from our parks and open spaces department will be taking a look at the area this week and, if necessary, we will contact the management company if any improvements need to be made.