Koi has them hookedLive gem has Koi, the jewels in a pond

"There's a Japanese phrase, Koi kichi. That's me -Koi crazy," said Gregory Peck, as he leaned over a vat of water to admire his expensive Japanese carp. "They're like swimming jewels."

Mr Peck, 47, was a judge at the North of England Koi Chapter's first show, held in Sheffield at the weekend. The group, formed in November, is affiliated to Zen N Nippon Arinkar, Japan's association for Koi- lovers. Mr Peck, a nightclub entrepreneur from Manchester and president of the chapter, "fell in love" with Koi 20 years ago and keeps 30 in a pond in his garden.

Phil Smith, 36, a bus driver from Doncaster, said of Koi-keeping: "It's a way of life. You get hooked. My job is really stressful. When I come home I'm ready to rip someone's head off. But once I've sat by my pond for 10 minutes I totally unwind."