Rolls-Royce has been testing over Wiltshire a new plane which it believes could be the world's fastest all-electric aircraft.

The company said the its new Spirit of Innovation plane reached a top speed of 387.4 mph during test runs at an experimental aircraft testing site.

It is thought to have set new World Records over three different distances. The figures have been sent to the World Air Sports Federation for verification.

The flights took place at Boscombe Down near Amesbury this month with test pilot and director of flight operations Phill O'Dell at the controls.

Rolls-Royce said Spirit of Innovation was more than 132 mph faster than the previous record set by the Siemens eAircraft powered Extra 330 LE Aerobatic aircraft in 2017. It reached a top speed of 345.4 mph over 1.9 miles and 330 mph over 9.3 miles.

It is also thought to have broken the fastest time to climb to 9842.52 ft by 60 seconds with a time of 202 seconds.

The aircraft uses a 400kW electric power-train - the equivalent of a 535 BHP supercar. Roll-Royce said it also had the most power-dense propulsion battery pack ever assembled in aerospace with enough power to charge 7,500 phones.

Warren East, chief executive of Rolls-Royce, said: "Following the world's focus on the need for action at COP26, this is another milestone that will help make 'jet zero' a reality.

Test pilot Phill O’Dell said: "This is the highlight of my career and is an incredible achievement for the whole team.”