Beast of Leagrave is on the loose say commuters - after strange sightings of 'big cat'

Strange sightings of a mysterious large black creature have been unsettling early morning commuters at a Luton train station.

People have captured the creature on video (see footage above) and police have checked the area around Leagrave station following reports.

One man managed to snap the animal after being alerted by another passenger who he saw videoing it as it hunted on the outskirts of the train station car park.

"It was very large,” he said. “It was a really really big cat.

"When I saw its face it was definitely a wild cat, like a panther, jaguar or a lynx.

"The first time I saw it was on August 9, a guy was calling me and he was videoing, and he said ‘look at that cat’. It was sitting cleaning itself and I saw its head and it was a panther.”

He reported the incident to Bedfordshire Police and Whipsnade Zoo, and on Friday, August 12, at around 5am as he went to work, he caught the creature on video himself as it hunted in the undergrowth at the station.

The man, who owns a cat himself, said he now avoids the entrance to the car park near the BP petrol station.

"I think it’s a risk to people if it is a wild animal.” he said. “Who can predict what a wild animal can do. Hopefully no one gets attacked if it is what I think it is.”

He is also reporting the incident to the British Big Cats Society which was set up to “scientifically identify, quantify, catalogue and protect the Big Cats that freely roam the British countryside”.

The BBCS, based at Dartmoor Wildlife Park, aims to see British Big Cats as a protected species and safeguarded from the gun, as far as is reasonably practicable. Its overall aim is to `Prove and Protect'.”

The pictures have divided opinions on social media. One person said: ‘Haha my cats are bigger than that!!! Def normal cat.’ while another added: ‘Doesn’t look like a domestic cat.’

A spokesman for Bedfordshire Police said: “We are aware of a report of a large cat near Leagrave Station on 9 August and 12 August. Officers reviewed images and were happy it was a large house cat.”

Have you seen a big beast in the area? Or do you think it might be your pet causing a stir? Get in touch at [email protected]