Ananova:

Randy toads killed prime carp worth £20,000 at a fishing lake by dragging them underwater.

The prized fish, weighing up to 8lbs, suffocated when amorous toads in a mating frenzy jumped on them as they basked in the shallows, reports The Sun.

Each carp was attacked by up to a dozen amphibians mistaking them for lady toads.

And more fish including roach, rudd and bream were killed by pollution from the rotting carcasses lying on the bottom of the lake.

Mike Heelis, 49, who manages Wykeham Lakes, near Pickering, North Yorks, said: "It was a horrendous sight.

"From a distance it looked like the fish had some sort of fungus on their heads. Then I realised they had these toads clamped to their heads.

"Toads have always come to our lakes to do what they do naturally - but this year there were thousands of them, jumping on anything that moved.

"The creatures were covering their gills and mouths. They just sank to the bottom and died.

"We used to have catches of 100lb in competitions but weights will be a lot lower now."

The Environment Agency said toad mating was a "natural phenomenon" and Mr Heelis could be prosecuted if he attempted to move them.