FARMER Gordon Watson didn't hesitate when he became the latest person to spot the black panther-like creature believed to be roaming the York and Selby areas.

As he was working in one of his fields at Camblesforth, near Selby, Mr Watson said he saw a black cat "bigger than a Labrador".

Mr Watson, 69, of Newland, near Drax, jumped down from his tractor to follow the animal, but as soon as he gave chase, it turned on its heels and quickly out-ran him.

He said he had always dismissed sightings of panthers and big cats as nonsense but was now a firm believer.

"I could not believe my eyes," he said. "I have never seen anything like it."

Mr Watson spotted the beast at about 6pm.

"It was really big - bigger than a Labrador but it was definitely not a dog. There was no way it was a regular cat either. It had a long tail and was very black, and I watched it slithering through my field like it was hunting.

"I have read about all these people in the paper saying they have seen panthers and thought it was all nonsense, but now I'm going to have to believe them."

Mr Watson reported it to the police, who confirmed it was the latest of dozens of sightings of a "panther" in the Selby area.

Selby community safety officer PC Wayne Leach said the report was being taken seriously, as there had been so many sightings.

Updated: 14:39 Tuesday, March 08, 2005