by Zara Mustapha

A 14-year-old schoolboy has caught a 7ft long freshwater catfish earning a place in record books.

The teenage boy, Will Sudders struggled with the beast for 45 minutes before finally catching his prey.

The catfish which weighed about 55kg is thought to be the biggest  freshwater fish caught by a teenager – and the country’s biggest living freshwater fish.

The monster Wels catfish weighed more than its catcher and is over a foot longer.

He told MailOnline: “After two days of only catching carp suddenly my rod alarm went off and my reel started screaming.

“I struck into the fish and immediately the rod bent forward and was almost ripped from my hands. I knew that I had hooked one of the big catfish in the lake.

“When the fish eventually came in close it roared off again and then battle recommenced. Eventually the fish tired and I was able to get into the water with my uncle and we retrieved it together.”

The biggest catfish ever caught in Britain was thought to be a 65kg beast caught in Essex in 2012, but it has since died.