A town council has unanimously voted to ban pets, especially goldfish, as prizes at local fairs.
Councillors in Barnstable, Devon, backed a motion to outlaw the giving of live pets on any council land or at events. Councillor Robbie Mack, who brought the motion, said: “When you buy a pet from a shop, you know what you’re doing, and you have a desire to buy the right equipment at the same time or beforehand.
“When you get one as a prize, you take it home, and you may, or may not, have the equipment and a lot of people are not prepared to have that pet.
“The other thing at fairgrounds is that a lot of people enjoy a drink at a fair. Therefore, they may not be in the best state of mind to choose and decide whether they should buy a pet at that time.
“There’s also the fact that children quite often win prizes, they may try and persuade their parent after they won the award that they want a goldfish, and the parent may not be prepared.”
