Britain's favourite carp dies

Anglers mourn the death of Benson - Britain's 29 kilogram celebrity carp.

Britain's fishing community is in mourning the death of Benson, the 29 kilogram carp.

Fans of the 25-year-old Benson would travel for kilometres to the Bluebell Lakes complex in Cambridgeshire for a chance to have their picture taken with weighty monster.

She was voted Britain's favourite carp in 2005 by the readers of Angler's Mail because of her sheer size and quirky looks.

Tony Bridgefoot, the owner of the Bluebell Lakes, was quoted in The Times of London as saying the fishing community has been rocked by Benson's death.

He said the carp, caught and released more than 60 times, had "celebrity status."

It was not immediately clear what caused Benson's death.

- AP