A 14-year-old cat from Cambridgeshire has broken the Guinness World Record for the loudest purr.

Bella, from Huntingdon, achieved a purr which measured 54.6 decibels – which is equivalent to the volume of a boiling kettle.

Nicole Spink, Bella’s proud owner, said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled that Bella has broken the world record.

“She has been our family’s companion for many years – we love her to bits and are so proud of her achievement.”

Dave Wilson, the official Guinness World Records adjudicator who oversaw Bella’s record-breaking attempt, said: “It’s always an exciting day when there is the potential for a new world record so we waited in anticipation to see whether Bella would be able to do it.”

Mr Wilson and an acoustic engineer prepared the room in Bella’s home to block out external noises and set up recording devices before Bella settled down on her favourite cushion and began to purr.

Bella needed to purr louder than 50 decibels to achieve the record and Mr Wilson said “the results were immediately obvious”.

Ms Spink said: “We’ve always known Bella had a really loud purr – we even have to turn up the volume to hear the TV over her purring – and that’s always after mealtimes.

“So, when we saw that the record for the World’s Loudest Purr was up for grabs, we knew we had to put Bella forward, and we’re so pleased we did.”

Speaking about Bella’s new Guinness World Record certificate, Ms Spink said: “It’s going to have a really prominent place in the house.

“We’re going to have to choose which child’s photos to take down first.”