A PANTHER-like creature has been reported to be stalking a man-made balancing lake in Bedworth.
Angler Nigel Sweet spotted the big cat while he was setting up his rods at the lake in the Coalpit Fields area of the town.
His revelation has evoked memories of the `Beast of Bedworth' which was sighted in the same area many years ago.
Several people said they saw a big cat in bushes and undergrowth at the side of the Coventry Canal in an area known locally as the `River Hills'.
But Nigel Street did not move to Bedworth until two years ago and had no knowledge of those sightings: "It was about a quarter to six in the morning and it was just getting light when I saw a dark shape on the other side of the lake," he said.
"I was less than a hundred yards away and had a clear view of the animal and watched it for about 15 seconds."
He came to Bedworth from Devon and is familiar with the sightings of big cats on Dartmoor: "It matched the descriptions of them," he said.
"It definitely wasn't a fox. It was cat-like with a long tail and kept crouching down every few yards and looking around as if it had been startled by something.
"I had a really clear view as it walked along a ridge on the other side of the lake. It was at least three times bigger than a household cat, about the same size as a smallish Labrador.
"Coming from Devon I have always been interested in hunting, shooting and fishing, I know my animals and this definitely looked like a puma or a panther. I am 95 per cent certain of that."
The creature may have been foraging for food: "It's didn't look too good to me," said Mr Street, who is 44 and lives on the nearby Cedars Estate at Exhall.
"It looked thin as if it has had a rough time and was desperately looking for food, but it was walking quite quickly. It wasn't trotting like a fox, it was stealthy and feline in its movements."
He tried to get a closer look: "I ran round the edge of the lake to try and cut it off, but it had disappeared."
The man-made balancing lake is in on the fringes of Bedworth Miners Welfare Park and the area has attracted rabbits, swans, geese and ducks.
There have been sightings of a huge black cat in several areas of Coventry this summer and was reported to have been seen in the Longford area.
Have you seen a black cat in you area? If so, contact the Nuneaton News on 024 7635 3534 or email editorial@nuneaton-news.co uk.
