Black panthers may roam the UK countryside - and Warrington?

The group, who are currently making Panthera Brittania Declassified, have seemingly confirmed that the large felines are prowling rural areas in the UK.

DNA taken from hairs at the site of a sheep attack in Gloucestershire is offering 'definitive proof' that black panthers may roam the British countryside.

A panther was reported off Blackbrook Avenue last year (Image: Maps)

A number of sightings of big cats have been made in and around Warrington in the last few years, with the most recent report coming from Padgate in October.

The panther was allegedly sighted by Julie Murphy, who said: "It looked like a long, black cat.

"What made me think it was a panther was its tail - it had a long, thin, curved tail.

"Even though it was dark, I could tell it wasn't a fox."

Footage was even captured from a Warrington home in the weeks after the initial sighting that may show the large feline on the prowl - or it may be a trick of the light.

Either way, the team of documentary makers has now confirmed that big cats may be roaming the country, lending more credence to the theory that a panther was indeed spotted in Warrington last year.

Strands of hair were taken from a wire fence in Gloucestershire following a sheep attack, and after being analysed in a laboratory confirmed a 99 per cent match to a species of big cat.

Speaking to the Mirror, Matthew Everett, from Dragonfly Films, said: "The DNA was from hairs caught on a barbwire fence where there had been some unusual predatory activity.

"There is a great deal of 'secondary evidence' for these cats, such as consistent witness reports, but hard evidence like DNA is hard to get, so the contribution from this documentary is very helpful."

Sightings of large cats have been reported across Warrington for decades, given its proximity to nearby zoos, as well as having acres of rolling countryside.

Does the doorbell camera footage show a panther? (Image: Newsquest)

In 2021, big cats were sighted across Cheshire and the north west, and a report even came from the Manchester Ship Canal in Latchford, with one man, William Allsop, saying: "I was at the kitchen sink and looked out of the window and noticed a creature walking on the railway line, in the first instance I thought it was a large dog so I looked out for the owner, no owner appeared.

“Then the animal proceeded to walk down the embankment, then disappeared behind the trees.

“As it came closer you could clearly see it was too large for a dog, also its tail was too long and more like a cat's tail.”

15 years ago, a large cat was also reported in Walton Gardens, too.

So, with new DNA evidence from the documentary team, could this confirm the sightings of big cats across Warrington in recent years?