As the heatwave shows no signs of letting up soon, vets have warned animal lovers to make sure their pets are safe from the sun - as a fish with sunburn was rushed to a Burton practice.

The fish, a koi carp called Big White Fish, was rushed to Scarsdale Vets in Stapenhill earlier this week after it had got sunburn while swimming in its pond due to the ongoing hot weather.

Owner Pat Smythe, 70, was shocked because she didn't know there was a risk for her fish.

She took it to the vets in Spring Terrace Road, where it was treated by vet Paul Revell. The fish has had treatment, including antibiotic injections.

He said: "Believe it or not, fish can get sunburnt if they spend too long at the surface of a pond or lake.

The fish suffered sunburn in its pond - you can see the red patch on its back

"This can happen if a fish is sitting at the surface for long periods of time, which is unnatural for a koi.

"Sometimes this happens when the water is too shallow, but in this case the koi was not getting enough oxygen from the water.

"Hot weather results in water temperatures rising, which is problematic for two reasons: firstly, fish are cold blooded, so as water temperatures rise, so does their metabolism, meaning they need more oxygen.

"Secondly, when water warms is holds much less oxygen than cold water, which leads the fish to come to the surface in an attempt to get more oxygen.

"This results in them being affected by the sun and getting sunburned."

People enjoying the sun

Pensioner Mr Revell, from Derby, said luckily Big White Fish is making a full recovery from his weather-related ordeal.

Mrs Smythe said: "I've had him since he was only two inches long, but I first noticed that something wasn't right a couple of days ago, which is why I contacted my local vet.

"Luckily, since the visit to the vet Big White Fish is doing really now, and I am keeping him in the bath, filled with pond water, in my wet room so I can keep a close eye on him.

"As Paul prescribed, I've been giving antibiotic injections every three days and all being well I plan to put him back in the pond on Sunday.

"I've replaced the water pump and I've made sure the pond is now shaded, so that this doesn't happen again as it's meant to be hot for the next few weeks. I'm really grateful that Scarsdale were able to help."

The hot weather is here to stay for a while yet

Vets at the practice have now given advice on how people can keep their fish safe in the hot weather.

Advice includes providing additional shade over your pond to reduce the amount of direct sun hitting the water and to top up the pond with cool water and check the water level does not get too low.

They also warned it is important to check the water pump in the pond to ensure it is working correctly.