Christmas came early for Northlands Park regular Tom Bohea when he landed a superb common carp of 28lb.

Not only was the fish 10 pounds bigger than his previous personal best, it also set a new lake record for the Basildon venue.

The big carp came from the road lake where Bohea tempted it with a chunk of cheese.

To start with the fish fought dourly, but later showed its power and weight before coming to the net.