'Terrified' Midlands mum claims to snap picture of panther prowling streets

A terrified mum claims to have photographed a panther prowling through her residential estate.

Clare Hodges, 51, is frightened to leave her home after clapping eyes on the beast in the Ryehill area of Northampton.

The mum-of-eight was putting her bins out late on Tuesday night (18/8) when she was startled by a noise from behind her.

Clare believed it was a fox which neighbours had been leaving meat out for - but was greeted by the sight of a huge black animal with a long tail.

She says she snapped a photo and then ran “quicker than she ever had in her life” back into her house.

She believes the mystery beast may have been attracted to the built-up area by the raw lamb which had been left out for the foxes.

It comes just weeks after police received a report of a big cat in the same county.

Clare, a full-time carer to her autistic 11-year-old daughter, told the Sell Us Your Story website: "It was terrifying.

"I was putting the bins out when I heard a noise behind me.

"The neighbours had been leaving out some raw lamb for a lovely vixen we have in the area at the minute and we'd been trying to get a photo of it for some time so I had my camera ready already.

"So I thought it was the fox and turned to get a quick image and then within a second or so I thought 'oh s**t, what is that?'.

"It was very big and I just ran quicker than I have ever done in my life into the house, shut the door and showed my partner Joseph.

"I thought it could be a big dog at first, like a Dalmatian with no spots, but then we saw the tail was not like a dog at all.

"It's actually terrifying how close to homes it has decided to get. Panthers can be extremely quick and could have got either one of us if it had wanted.

"I'm worried for the safety of my daughter and other children in the area now.

"She lives in her own little bubble due to her autism so it's really aware of danger.

"The other weird thing is that all the cats in the area hadn't been out for a few days before it happened.

"So I wonder if its been the area for some time. I think it must have been attracted to the meat which had been laid out in the street for the fox."

Clare believes the creature could have come from Harlestone Firs Forest, an area of vast woodland which is a couple of miles from their home.

She added: "There have been rumours of big cat sightings up there before but what is worrying is how far it came into a built up area.

"Its a quiet area here but there's still lots of houses and flats so it's extremely worrying.

"Afterwards I posted the image on my Facebook page and while some people were amazed others didn't believe me.

"Some said it was AI but it really isn't - I wouldn't know how to do that anyway and I don't have the time to looking after my daughter.

"Put people can think what they like, but we know what we saw.

"A lot of people have pointed out the panther like features.

"Some said they had never seen a clearer picture of a big cat before and never before so close to homes."

Big cat expert Tim Whittard said: "If authentic then this shows a very large feline animal alarmingly close to people's homes."

Earlier this month there was another suspected panther sighting in Northamptonshire.

Northamptonshire Police confirmed they have received a report of the sighting of a large cat in fields in a village near Corby on August 6.

There has been a long line of possible big cats sightings in county and nearby Rutland over the years - including the mystical Beast of Rutland.

Northamptonshire Police said the latest sighting had not been reported to them.