The deaths of 300 fish belonging to an Ipswich father-of-13 could have been caused by raw eggs being placed into the pond, it was claimed last night.

Tim Fisk, of Glamorgan Road, last week hit out at vandals he accused of deliberately poisoning the pets on July 1 in an attack because of controversy surrounding him and his family, who received a six-bedroom house.

It was initially believed a substance such as bleach was poured into the pond, but it is understood now that samples of water were taken which concluded the main content was raw egg.

It has also been claimed that this may have caused a ‘film to form on top of the water’ which then ‘cut off the supply of oxygen to the fish’.

Yesterday, a spokeswoman for Suffolk police said the force had been made aware of the claims but that they had not been confirmed and an investigation into the incident, which has been deemed an act of criminal damage, was ongoing.

The spokeswoman added: “Police are still looking into all the possibilities and are still investigating.”

The incident happened some time between 10pm on July 1 and 9am the following day.

The Fisk family, from Maidenhall, were the subjects of a petition after it emerged Ipswich Borough Council was knocking through a wall to an unoccupied house next door to them, which created the six-bedroom house.

They were one of three families to feature in the documentary Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole, which aired on June 23 – just days before the incident happened.

Speaking after the incident, Mr Fisk said: “I get child tax credit as everyone else does – it’s just the fact that I have had so many children.

“It seems to me everyone’s doing it hoping we move, but I’m going to stand my ground.”