A GIANT black cat resembling a panther has once more been spotted prowling Halton's streets,.

Last week the black cat - which was described as being at least five times bigger than a normal feline - was seen near Halton Castle.

Witness James McDowall spotted the animal lurking near the church field and he, and companion Linda O'Mally, were shaken when the animal turned and growled at them.

He said: 'This huge black cat ran across our path. It came from a set of steps in the church field wall and stopped for a second to look at us and give out a loud, deep snarl. It ran into the bushes and for several minutes we could hear dogs barking in fear on the Castlefields estate.' The incident is the latest of several sightings of the huge black cat in Runcorn and Widnes over the past three years.

And experts believe the animal could be the descendant of black panthers released into the country alongside other exotic pets when the Dangerous Wild Animals Act became law 28 years ago.

Eighteen months ago Runcorn taxi driver Terry Ellis suffered a shock when he spotted a massive cat staring at him when he parked his cab off Warrington Road, Runcorn.

Fifty-one-year-old Mr Ellis said: 'As soon as it saw me, it started scrambling towards the fence. It was jet black, had big powerful-looking shoulders and quite a small head. Its body was about four feet long and its tail must have been another three feet at least.

'When I saw it, I jumped back in my car and locked the doors. However, I think it was as scared of me as I was of it.'

And two years ago a huge cat - dubbed The Beast of Widnes - was seen on the prowl at St Michael's Golf CLub.

Big cat expert Quentin Rose, who has tracked with Canadian indians, said: 'These cats are not yet common in Britain. They were released by their owners when the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976 was brought in to make it harder to keep them as pets. It appears they are now breeding well and living off the land.

'At the moment they are not dangerous to humans because they are not attacking people. However, they could become extremely dangerous very quickly if people attempt to hunt them or hurt them.'