A TRIO of big cats have been spotted prowling in a residential street in St Albans.

Elizabeth Parsons, from Chorleywood, claims she saw a panther-like cat dart in front of her as her husband drove her to work along Highfield Park Drive, and insisted she saw two more mysterious creatures prowling on the side of the road.

She has always kept quiet about her unusual encounter, but several reported sightings of black cats in nearby Bedmond have brought memories of that peculiar morning in December last year flooding back.

Elizabeth, who retired from her job at a residential home in Hill End Lane, St Albans, in March told the Review: "It was just before 7.30am so at that time of year was still not properly light. We were going along the road and I was aware of something darting infront of us. The first thing I noticed was the tail which was long and cat-like. It wasn't an ordinary cat, it was something larger than that..

"On reaching the other side of the road I looked back to see that there were in fact two similar animals playing on a slight bank."

Sightings of big cats have also been made elsewhere in Hertfordshire, with six or seven bizarre experiences reported in Bedmond, leading to the legend of the Beast of Bedmond.

Expert big cat hunter Danny Nineham investigates dozens of sightings around the country each year. He explained how a law, introduced in the 1970s, which banned the keeping of “exotic pets”, led to many big cats being released into the wild.

Have you see a big cat skulking around St Albans?

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