WORKERS on an oxygenating boat on the river Thames had a shock when a 10cm long red bellied piranha dropped out of the sky and onto the deck!
The flesh-eating South American fish had been dropped by a passing seagull, which had plucked it from the surface layers of the mighty river, said the Environment Agency.
“It was very fresh and had obviously only just died. You could see the marks made by the seagull’s beak on its back,” fisheries officer Tom Cousins said.
Experts said the fish must have outgrown its tank and been released into the river by its owner. It then died because the water of the river is too cold to support the species.