Craig Preston, a father of one, is the latest in a line of people who are convinced that big cats are living in Mid Sussex.

Craig believes he spotted a black panther whilst walking his dog through fields off Manor Road in Burgess Hill.

He said: "It was our usual walk round the fields. We were walking along the path and my dog was running through the crops. I was looking around and as I looked up there was a cat sitting about 10 or 15 meters away from me.

It was a big cat and I could tell its size because my dog was about the same distance away from me. I lost my composure and panicked a bit."

Craig said he shouted for his dog to put her on a lead. He thinks the loud noise may have scared off the creature.

He said: "The cat sat up and jumped into the bushes. As it did, I could see it was very big, dark and muscular and had a long wispy tail. It had about three curves in the tail and it was going on for about a metre long.

"After looking at some photos I've come to the conclusion that it was a black panther. It looks just the same."

Do you think you have seen a big cat roaming Mid Sussex? Or do you feel that the sighting has a perfectly logical explanation? Register below to add your comments to this story.