POLICE are probing a Pontypool man's clai-ms that he saw a big cat roaming fields near the town's college campus.

Beverly West, 58, of Blaendare Road, Ponty-pool, said he saw a large, puma-like creature at 5am, on April 13, as he was walking his dog near Stokes Field, near the Coleg Gwent campus.

Mr West said: "I saw what I thought was a boulder in the field. Then, looking again at it I thought I saw it move, and thought it may have been a group of foxes feeding on some carrion.

"But then it got up and stared at me and just walked away. I wasn't really scared, but I didn't know what to think.

"When I got home I thought 'I won't tell anybody - they'll think I'm a bit nuts'. But I know what I saw and I thought it was too important not to tell anyone. I used to work in a zoo, and as a wildlife officer, and I've always been very keen on animals and wildlife, so I know what I'm talking about."

Mr West described the creature as black,about five foot in length,with a long tail.

Mr West reported the incident to the police later on in the day, but it was too late for officers to attend the scene.

A spokesman for Gwent police said: "We are aware of the incident and we are currently waiting to see if we have any other reports from the area.

"The man called us 13 hours after the incident took place, so it wasn't worth sending officers to the scene. However if we are made aware of other sightings we are prepared to respond."

Other local people also claim to have seen the beast roaming fields. Melvyn Nicholls, 62, who lives on a small-holding off Blaendare Road, saw what he thought was a black cat on a hillside behind Coleg Gwent a few weeks ago.

Mr Nicholls, a panelmaker who works on Crumlin Road, said: "I was in work, looking up at the hill when I saw something large and black move in the grass. It moved just like a cat. I didn't tell anyone else about it, but when Bev told me he saw something similar I thought maybe there's something in this.

"I have a small-holding, and I always keep my eye out for anything strange now, just in case it goes for my animals."

* The Argus is offering a £200 reward for a verifiable picture which shows a big cat in a recognisably Gwent location.