Bentley is recalling 33,155 cars after discovering a design fault that could lead to them catching fire.

The firm is warning customers including Princess Anne, Rio Ferdinand and Victoria Beckham to have a defective fuel filter on their vehicles modified.

The problem with four Continental models, which can cost £137,500 and hit 202mph, is blamed on rust caused by road salt that can lead to petrol leaks.

Princess Anne took delivery of her Bentley in black livery with cream leather seats in 2005

Bosses said salt spread on icy roads caused the filter to rust and rupture in several cases. Some 31 cars - including 26 in the UK - were sufficiently badly affected to be potentially dangerous.

The recall to fit a new filter affects 7,538 cars in Britain and 13,420 in the U.S., with the remainder owned by customers throughout the world.

Spokesman Richard Durbin said no cars had caught fire. But he admitted: 'There is a potential fire risk. This is a precautionary measure.'

England footballers Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Steven Gerrard all also own vehicles that have been recalled.

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The Bentley Continental Flying Spur, priced at £115,000

The Continental was the first new design unveiled under Volkswagen's ownership and triggered a stampede by rich and famous buyers to showrooms.

The 195mph four-door Flying Spur saloon capable of 0-60 in 4.9 seconds was a hit with Princess Anne who took delivery of hers in black livery with cream leather seats in 2005.

She was forced to defend her choice of car in the face of criticism from environmentalists when calling on people to think green last year and claimed she took the train whenever possible.

The 'baby' six-litre GT coupe version was snapped up by footballers including Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Jamie Redknapp and Victoria Beckham received one as a Christmas present.

The subsequent 195mph GTC convertible version won a brace of design awards and the 600 brake horsepower twelve-cylinder Speed variant became Bentley's fastest production car with a top speed of 202mph and a 0-60 figure of 4.3 seconds.

John Terry is another famous Bentley buyer

Celebrity GT drivers also include television antiques guru David Dickinson and Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who got into deep water when one got stuck on a shingle beach during filming for the TV motoring show.

The sales success boosted total annual Bentley production to a record 10,000 cars last year at the Cheshire factory where 3,800 craftsmen and 500 engineers are employed.

Cars have found buyers as far and wide as China, Asia and America where 13,420 are being recalled, according to the US National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration.

Bentley's US Fixed Operations Manager Stephen Worrall said the fault was first spotted by a mechanic at a UK dealer who found a 'small fuel leak'.

In a report to the NHTSA, Mr Worrall said: 'The follow-up analysis by Bentley Motors Limited identified a pin hole in the housing caused by road salt corrosion.

'There is the potential for road salt to corrode the outer surface of the fuel filter. In extreme cases this may lead to the filter housing becoming porous. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could lead to a fire.'

The Bentley spokesman in the UK declined to say whether any of the celebrity owners or Princess Anne had yet had the modification carried out but said all customers would be contacted to inform them of the recall.

It is the second time that the Continental GT has been found to be at risk of catching fire.

Five hundred and thirty-six were recalled in August 2006 when it was discovered that a brake pipe rubbing on a hose clip could rupture and cause a leak of inflammable brake fluid in the engine compartment.