by Hayley Robinson

Could this picture prove the beast of Bredgar really exists?

The photo was taken by a resident in the village who spotted the large paw prints in the snow on his driveway.

To illustrate the size of it he placed his size nine foot next to the imprint and forwarded it on to Big Cat Researcher Neil Arnold.

Mr Arnold says he is fairly certain it was made by a big cat.

He said: "A majority of such prints turn out to be dogs, but I believe 70 per cent that this print belongs to a cat.

"The man lives in an isolated spot and the prints had come from woodland, crossed the road and gone up the driveway.

"One of the prints was on the rear windscreen of his car, suggesting that a very large animal had bounded across his vehicle."

According to Mr Arnold, over the last year there have been several sightings of both a puma and black leopard around Sittingbourne.

Mr Arnold said: "Big cats were kept as pets in the 1960s but then in 1976 the Dangerous Animals’ Act was introduced - people panicked and let them loose.

"Travelling zoos were also very popular many years ago. They used to have lynxes and pumas and if one escaped they weren’t likely to report it."