Big cat sightings are nothing new to people across the city these days but the so-called "Beast of Bretton" appears to have set up a new home in the south of Peterborough.

And while it is normally spotted lurking in bushes and the undergrowth of the city's most popular beauty spots – including Orton Mere and Ferry Meadows – the puma-like creature also seems to be making the most of his nine lives with reports of him running across busy roads around the city.

Michelle Esposito contacted The Evening Telegraph on Monday after spotting what she thinks was a large beast-like animal, which she said appeared to be the size of a dog, sprinting across the road between Hampton and Yaxley.

She said: "It was dark in colour, and was the shape of a large cat.

"It was cat-like in the way it was running and we wondered whether there was a large cat, such as a puma, living in Peterborough."

Mark Williams, from Bretton, has been studying big cat sightings throughout the UK for the past two years.

He said: "I can fully understand why some readers may think them fantasy.

"There are, however, sufficient positive sightings, by police officers, for example, to suggest that not all of them are mistaken identity."

Sam Stockwell, who lives in Helpston, near Peterborough, also got in touch to say she had spotted a large black cat twice in her village.

Meanwhile, Kevin Parsons was driving along the Fletton Parkway, between the Hampton junctions, when he had to slow down to avoid hitting what appeared to be a big cat.

He said: "I will wait for more sightings."

Jennifer Pratt was one of the first people to spot the beast on the footpath along the River Nene, in 2006, at Orton Mere.

She said: "I was cycling along a footpath at Orton Mere heading towards the city centre when about 50 yards ahead of me, I saw what I can only describe as a black panther looking into the bushes.

"I stopped to take a closer look but it had disappeared into the undergrowth.

"I cycled at speed past it and glanced as I went by to see its eyes looking at me. They were large and yellow, I didn't stop my bike again until I was a safe distance past it."

Mrs Pratt spotted the cat a couple of days later and on another occasion heard growling coming from the bushes but didn't stop to find out where it was coming from.

Mr Williams would like to hear from anyone who has recently spotted a cat in the city, which he will then log on to a national register of sightings.

n To contact Mr Williams, e-mail thewideangleco@ googlemail.com