NEW sightings of a mysterious creature believed to be a big cat have come to light.

Hazell Lund, from Stockton, is convinced she saw a large black cat on Sunday (June 22) when she was travelling along the A66 at about 11.30am.

Unfortunately, Ms Lund did not have time to retrieve her phone from her bag to take a photograph of the creature before it darted out of view.

However, several readers have been in touch since to say they too have spotted the black cat.

Jan Steel, who lives near Bishop Auckland, said she thought she was going “crackers” when she saw a huge creature on Tuesday night (June 23).

“I have two English Bull Mastiffs and they were going absolutely crackers at about 10.20pm on Tuesday night so I put the light on and I literally caught a glimpse of the back end of it,” she said.

“It was about the size of my smaller mastiff, brownish black in colour, and went straight over the gate, which even my big mastiff, who is very athletic, can’t get over.”

She added: “There’s been a few sheep killed over the years and people blamed dogs but I know what I saw although I know no one will believe me.”

Lorry driver, Lee McLean, said he saw the creature about a month ago while working nights.

“I was heading southbound near the turn off for Hartlepool/Teeside on the A1 and saw something that looked to be a big cat ran straight across on front of me.

“It was about three or four times the size of a fox and was as quick as a flash.”

Durham mobile security officer, Andrew Newton, added: “Last year whilst on patrol with a colleague in the early hours we come across the strangest thing I’ve witnessed in the five years I’ve done this job.

“What I can describe a very large cat black in colour long tail standing at least two-and-a-half-feet-tall maybe four feet long and in no absolute hurry it crossed the secluded road we were on into a large tree lined field .

“This was witnessed by both me and my colleague who had stopped our patrol vehicle and sat stunned.

“This was reported back to our control room.

“I’ve never spoke about this since till now I know what I witnessed I was very sceptical of cat sightings but I’m now convinced more than ever what I saw in the early hours of last year.”

Another Durham sighting came when Karen Fearon, who lives in the Gilesgate area, said she saw what she thought was a panther last summer.

She said: “At around 11.45pm I was outside my bungalow with my dog when a large black cat strolled along the path and disappeared behind the garages opposite, I was 100 per cent positive it was a large black cat, not a domestic one as it was way to big in height and length, the way it carried it's long tail and the size of its head.

“I even said at the time I thought it could be a black panther.

“The next day I told family and friends what I has witnessed and I said it was very unusual, I had seen nothing like it before, except in a zoo, of course they disbelieved me.

“One suggested I'd had a drink to many but I am tee total, and had not been out that evening. 

“There are lots of wooded areas around here within a few minutes’ walk, no distance to a big cat, so plenty of places to hide and we use to have lots of wild rabbits wandering around here, but suddenly they all disappeared. No one could explain why.”