RMC boss Ian Welch says he expects the venue to produce Britain’s first ever 40lb grass very soon, after the venue’s Church Lake smashed the British record with a 39lb 2oz fish in the first week of the new season.

The fish fell to the rod of East Grinstead, Sussex angler Kevin Ballard, and beats the old record taken from the same lake by over 2lb.

According to Ian, the grass carp in the 14 acre water are packing on at least 3lb a year, and a ’40’ is only a matter of time.

Kevin (35) was actually targeting ‘ordinary’ carp with conventional tactics when the big grass mowed up his Big Fish Mix pop-up boile, presented over a bar in the middle of the lake from a swim known as One Up.

It was netted and weighed on Reubon Heaton scales by bailiff Del Smith, who confirmed it was the same fish taken at a previous British record weight of 36lb 9oz by Colin Nash. Kevin will be making a claim.