The Beast of Berkshire is looking more likely to be a big cat after new evidence has been uncovered for a documentary.
Reading residents previously shared that they had spotted large cats on the outskirts of the town.
Now documentary makers looking into the possibility of big cats roaming the UK have released the "clearest ever" photo of a potential big cat taken in Smallthorne, Staffordshire.
It is the newest piece of evidence in the new award-winning documentary ‘Panthera Britannia Declassified’ released on Amazon Prime by Dragonfly Films.
Previously the documentary makers had revealed that they had found DNA evidence which they claimed confirmed the existence of big cats in Britain.
READ MORE: New DNA evidence shows big cats could roam Reading
To many the revelation might not come as a surprise.
In January lorry driver Joe Ashford was driving on the M4, southeast of Reading when he says he saw what he described as a "large cat".
He described the animal as a "small leopard with hyena-like colours".
Another motorist, Issac Latchman, reported a similar sighting on the same stretch of road in the woodland areas between Junction 11 and 12.
Earlier sightings have also been reported, with a common theme of the M4 being a sighting hotspot.
In July 2022 near Junction 13 of the M4 near Newbury, Tom Woods was startled when a "large cat-looking creature" which resembled a Lynx with sandy colouring ran across the road in front of him as he drove at speed.
"Its run wasn't like anything I had seen of native UK animals and it looked particularly feline," Tom said.
However, the colouring of the Beast of Berkshire is different to the image released by the documentary producers.
While the official image denotes a large black panther-like cat, many in Berkshire have reported sightings of a sandy feline, with "cougar-like colours".
The animal has also been spotted in nearby fields, with one reader getting in touch and reporting that they had captured the animal on camera.
The image of the mysterious cat was taken in Hungerford in February.
Dee Morris, who took the image, said: "I saw something huge on the hill move like a cat. I tried to video it but was scared, it didn't focus.
"I thought it looked like it had a collar on, others think it might be a catch hanging out of its mouth."
When speaking to a wildlife expert at the University of Reading, the possibility of a big cat roaming was not ruled out.
Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Reading, Dr Manuela González-Suárez said: "It is possible that somebody had a big cat as a pet and that that animal might have escaped.
"I can imagine that such an animal would not last very long in this environment."
She added: "It is possible that due to visibility being reduced animals and shapes could appear different.
"I don't think an animal could last on its own without being clearly identified and tracked down in an area like Berkshire for very long."
However, if there is a "big cat" out there and you happen to come across it, it is important to slowly back away and find shelter, whether in a vehicle or building - then notify the police.
Have you seen the 'Beast of Berkshire'? We'd like to hear your stories. Send any sightings to daisy.waites@newsquest.co.uk
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