'Big cat' measuring 'six-foot-long' seen in UK countryside sparks fears panther on loose

A road worker feared a panther could be on the loose after spotting a massive black cat.

Jason Dobney, 44, was working on a road repair in Peterborough, Cambs, when he spotted the cat. He believes the feline could be up to 6ft long.

There have been reports about big cats in Cambridgeshire's The Fens for decades. The earliest sighting of the legendary Fens tiger is said to date back back to 1978 when it was supposedly spotted at Bourn airfield.

Jason recalled: "I do roadworks and it was walking through the fields. It was six-foot long and looked like a panther. The sheer size of it was crazy. I've seen big domestic cats and this was nothing like that.

"I was doing a road repair and sat in a layby waiting for traffic management to set up when I saw it prowling along the field. I didn't want to get too close as it was way bigger than a Rottweiler dog.

"I've never seen one like it. Its tail was about two-foot-long. I was sat watching it for 10 minutes. I have seen many cats from a distance and the sheer size of this thing is nothing like I've ever seen before. No way was it a house cat."

Officially, there are no big cats living in the wild in Britain but some insist they've spotted leopards, lynxes or pumas on the prowl. People living in Cambridgeshire often fall into the category of those who believe the Fens tiger exists and those who think it is an elaborate hoax.

But Jason's video appears to have some people sold. Kerry Whiting commented: "That is way bigger than a standard moggy."

Jason Evans added: "It could be a hybrid. It doesn't look quite right for a panther but looks way larger than a normal domestic cat."

Big cat expert Daz Tinsley said: "It's a bit small but these big cats that are out there aren't as big as everybody thinks."

In September, a couple in Pidley reported seeing the elusive tiger on their CCTV, with Liam Miller and Molly Harrall claiming the footage showed the animal near their home. Liam said he saw the beast while tending to their chickens and called Molly, who could be heard saying: "That's a big cat."

The pair continued: "At first glance, it looked like a Labrador but you could quickly see that it wasn't a dog by the way it sat and moved. Molly has had cats as pets for her entire life and was correct in saying that you just wouldn't see a domestic cat from that distance. It jumped away.

"We then checked our camera and thought the footage confirmed our thoughts on the size of the animal. When we looked back at the camera, we saw it had been sitting still for four or five minutes prior to us disturbing it.

"We were both closer to it in the garden, just left of camera, but unfortunately we didn't have our phones with us. The camera is probably 50 to 60 yards away. The land is private and doesn't have dog walkers."