Big cat spotted in Wiltshire

Big cats have been spotted all over the UK

A woman out walking her dogs has spotted what she described as a black panther.

The woman, who is in her 70s, was walking her two dogs at Drews Pond near Devizes, Wiltshire, at 0845 GMT on Wednesday when she saw the creature.

She said she saw the animal, which was 5 ft long from nose to tail move from behind a willow tree near a stream 30 ft away from her.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said: "I was amazed rather than scared.

Repeated sightings

"Luckily the panther did not see myself or my dogs, but I saw it clearly for at least 30 seconds.

"It walked stealthily along the tree trunk."

This is not the first time big cats have been spotted in Wiltshire - in December 2000 two teenagers saw what they thought was a lynx in nearby Drews Pond Lane.

And a number of dog walkers have reported sightings of a big cat with distinctive tufts on its ears in the area.