Peter the stolen goldfish versus the fin blue line

A stolen goldfish perched in a pint glass of water survived a high-speed police pursuit – and crash.

Officers were surprised to see the pet fish still alive after being buffeted round the floor of a vehicle boot.

The pursuit began when a “suspicious” car spotted by officers in Chessington, Surrey shot off into the distance.

A team of patrol cars tracked down the vehicle where it had crashed. As officers went to question the driver and passenger, the pair ran away towards houses.

When officers began searching the inside of the car, they discovered the fish swimming around in a glass full of water.

A spokesperson for Kingston Police said the goldfish was “chilling and casually staring at us”, adding: “We couldn’t understand how even after the fast driving and the crash the pint glass was still upright!

“Officers at the scene affectionately named the fish as Peter. Goodness knows what the fish was thinking after his tour around Chessington in a pint glass.”

The incident, which happened on May 5, has been linked to a recent burglary in which TV, cash, shoes and a goldfish were stolen

Peter the goldfish has been returned to his home tank, where he is reported to be “recovering well”.

The car driver was later arrested.