SHOCKED 10-year-old Nicholas Rogers claims he came face to face with a big cat in Poole's leafy suburbs as he walked home for his tea.

Nicholas, from Ascot Road, in Broadstone, was running home from the Recreation ground next to Silverdale Close where he had been playing football with friends last Tuesday, when he saw a large black creature crossing the road towards him.

Unable to identify it, he slowed to a walk and cautiously crossed over to the other side of the road, coming within 8ft of the animal, which stopped in the road and turned to look at the boy.

Nicholas returned the gaze of the creature he described as the size of a labrador, but with a large, strange shaped head, which had the features of a cat and big yellow eyes.

It then turned around and disappeared into some bushes while Nicholas ran home.

His mother Linda, 46, who works part time for the RNLI, said: "He's a sensible boy and not given to flights of fancy.

"I think he was a little scared when he got home.

"We have a cat at home, but he said the creature he saw was at least twice as big with a very smooth black coat."

Mrs Rogers was so excited she and her son drove out to the point where Nicholas had seen the animal on Cheam Road to see if they could find it again, but it had disappeared.

In the summer there were several reports of big cat sightings by residents across the conurbation, including at West Cliff, Westbourne, Hurn and Wimborne.

First published: October 23