A garden pond can prove to be a very expensive feature for anybody looking to sell their house.

The presence of a pond can lead to more than £5,000 being wiped off the value of a house, new research by hybrid agency eXp UK reveals.

As many as 87% of buyers avoid a property with a pond, the findings show.

Potential buyers are worried about the danger of a water feature like a pond to small children, and they also fear rats and mice will be attracted. The cost of upkeep for a pond is also a deterrent.

Having a pond in the garden can shave 1.8% off the potential asking price of a property. That may not seem a lot, but it equates to over £5,000 on the current average UK house price of £287,506.

If done properly, a pond can be an attractive addition to any garden.”

Adam Day, head of eXp UK, says: “If done properly, a pond can be an attractive addition to any garden, and it’s clear that many of the nation’s homebuyers still believe this is the case.

“However, today they are largely seen as a negative property feature due to the fact that they pose a very real danger to the safety of children, while they can also be expensive to upkeep, as well as the other problems they bring such as attracting rodents.”

Buyers don’t want the additional financial burden of maintaining a pond and deterring rats and mice from their garden, he says.

“This means that should they come across an otherwise perfect home with a pond, they will need to factor in the additional cost of removing it once they’ve purchased the property,” he adds.