A fisherman has created waves in the angling community - after claiming he came face to face with a crocodile in the New Forest.
Alan Pragnell, 64, was fishing at a lake near Ringwood, Hants, when he says the 2ft croc grabbed hold of a small fish as he reeled it in.
Mr Pragnell, an NHS support worker, was sitting on a raised fishing chair, in around a foot of water.
"It was quite clear enough. It was a matter of inches away, just lying there. It was a crocodile," he said.
"It was about two foot long. I was looking at it in disbelief. It had four legs and a tail. It was there for about ten seconds and then sunk down into the depths."
Mr Pragnell admitted it had been hard to convince some people and that his story had led to considerable ridicule.
But he insisted: "What would be the point in lying? I reckon someone had it as a pet and just chucked it over the fence when it got too big."
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