An Orpington angler has caught a huge catfish weighing 175lb while on holiday in Spain.

Fern Parker, from Winscombe, netted the whopper on a trip along the River Ebro, near Barcelona, in August.

The 67-year-old, who has been fishing since aged 20, said she pulled the monster from the water with her own strength after the fishing rod she was using snapped.

Ms Parker, who was holidaying with boyfriend Mick Beam, told News Shopper: “I stood about in 90 degrees of hot sun trying to reel it in for about three hours.

“There was no way I was going to let that fish go.

“I have been fishing for a long, long time now but this is the biggest I’ve ever caught.”

The current World Record for a wels catfish is 250lb 3oz. Ms Parker’s previous largest catch weighed around 60lb.

“I was very, very excited. At my time in life, I didn’t think I would ever beat my record and catch a fish that size,” she said.

“My boyfriend, Mick was wonderful. He was so, so pleased for me considering it was his rod I snapped.”

The angling enthusiast, who entered fishing competitions when she was younger, caught the catfish using just one halibut pellet.

Professional anglers would normally use about seven pellets to catch a fish that size. 

The catfish happily posed for photographs before Ms Parker released it back into the river.