Bridport: Mystery beast seen prowling again

11:10am Friday 11th February 2011
By James Tourgout

THE beast of Dorset has been spotted again on the roam just outside of Bridport. Pensioner Shirley Smith says she saw a large black cat run across the main road to Beaminster after leaving her nearby home.

Ross Moore says he also saw a large cat run across the road and up a grass verge just outside Powerstock. Both called the Bridport News after reading how gritter lorry driver Mike Ward saw a large black cat at Batcombe and at Netherbury.

Mrs Smith, 74, said: “I saw an animal half way across the road.

“At first I thought it was a fox but it was jet black and there was no way it was an ordinary domestic cat.

“It was about one and a half times the size of a normal cat.”

Mrs Smith, who lives off Beaminster Road, near Gore Cross, was about 100 yards up the road towards Beaminster in her car when she saw the creature.

Her sighting is the latest in a line of glimpses of large cats. The creature has been dubbed the Beast of Dorset although sightings have come from Bridport, Abbotsbury, Weymouth, Batcombe and Hardy’s Monument.

Mr Moore was in his car with fianceé Claire Perry when a large cat ran out in front of them late last year just outside Powerstock and up a grass verge.

He said: “It ran out in front of the car.

“We had to brake suddenly “We only saw three quarters of the body as some of it was under the front of the car but it was much larger than a normal cat.

“It was about three times the size of a domestic cat.”

He added: “I thought that is a big cat.”

The couple got out of the car but couldn’t find any paw prints or trace of the creature. They have also been back since but have not seen any evidence of it.

http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/8841968.Bridport__Mystery_beast_seen_prowling_again/
(Via Dark Dorset)