Is the Beast of Bleadney back?

Last year there were numerous reported sightings of a big cat roaming the hills and levels around Bleadney and Henton, just outside Wells.

Now one of the clearest sightings yet has been made by a rally driving team on the levels between Bleadney and Godney.

Rally driver Colin Knott of Congresbury was taking part in a navigational exercise on Thursday night with his wife Jan as a co-driver.

As they drove down Leaze Drove on the way to Godney and rounded a bend they were stunned by the sight of a big cat 50 yards distant.

Colin said: "It looked to us like it was a puma.

"It was about the size of a labrador or an alsatian, sandy coloured and most definitely a cat.

"The way that it ran gave it away, using its tail to maintain its balance."

"We both saw it perfectly clearly in the headlights. It ran along the edge of the rhyne and then vanished into the ditch."

Colin and Jan's navigational skills allowed them to record the exact location of the sighting.

On Friday the Wells Journal visited the scene – and found what could be crucial evidence of the cat's existence.

A row of at least a dozen clear paw prints in the mud ran along the edge of the narrow country road.

Danny Bamping from the British Big Cats Society said that he could not say for certain that the images were those of a big cat's paw print, but he did not rule it out.

"There is a fifty-fifty chance that these are big cat prints," he said.

But he added they could also be from a dog – they have characteristics of both dog and cat prints, so they are hard to identify.

The large pad to the rear of the print indicates a cat's paw.

Dog paws feature an indentation which gives the print a U-shape.

But cats rarely run with their claws out, unless they are leaping – and this print clearly shows the presence of a single claw.

"Dog prints are often mistaken for cat prints," he said. "But I simply can't be sure with this one."

Mr Bamping said he would pass the picture on to fellow big cat experts for their opinion. Other reports of a big cat on the Somerset Levels have emerged over the past few weeks, with sightings at Meare and at Pilton – see page 16.

Have you seen evidence of a big cat around Wells? Did you walk a large dog along Leaze Drove at the end of last week? Call 01749 832335.