Image caption It is thought the goldfish was an abandoned pet (Photo BNPS)

A Surrey teenager who went angling in Dorset to celebrate finishing his GCSEs has hooked what is thought to be the biggest goldfish in Britain.

Nick Richards, 16, from Camberley, caught the 5lb (2.2kg), 16in (41cm) fish, from a lake in Poole.

It is thought the goldfish may have been abandoned after outgrowing its fish tank.

Nick, who was studying at Collingwood College, Camberley, named the fish Billy before throwing it back.

His catch beats Goldie the pet goldfish from Folkestone, Kent, who weighed 2lb (0.9kg) and was branded Britain's biggest in 2008.

Ruth Lockwood, from the English Carp Heritage Organisation, said it was hard to confirm whether the goldfish was the UK's largest because it was an ornamental fish and any record would not be officially recognised.