A commuter was terrified after an early-morning encounter with the infamous ‘Beast of Essex’ who was prowling a platform.
The large, leopard-like animal was seen around 5.30am at a station.
A stunned local who spotted it said the creature looked a lot bigger than a domestic cat.
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It was seen at Wivenhoe train station, Essex.
The county is famed for numerous big cat sightings.
And experts who viewed the clip are unsure what it showed.
“When I walked onto the station platform I felt scared,” the witness who didn’t want to be named told What’s The Jam.
“I was alone at 5.30am.
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“When I saw it it looked huge and nothing like anything I had seen before.
“Some say it looks like a savannah cat and others said it was a Bengal.
“I have seen a Bengal before and I don’t think it was the same cat at all.
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“And I had been up since 4am getting ready, so I wasn’t tired or just woken up or anything.
“Goodness knows what it was.”
The witness said they later emailed the footage to Essex Wildlife Trust for an opinion.
They were told: “Trying to judge scale from the surrounding street furniture it doesn’t look large enough for anything like a lynx but I agree it is a very striking animal.
“I can’t really provide any informative insights and it is possible it is a domestic animal with an interesting heritage.”
Wivenhoe has a long history of so-called big cat sightings, with locals frequently reporting mysterious large felines in the area.
The sightings are often linked to the so-called Beast of Essex with reports ranging from suspected pumas to panthers.
The claims have sparked local interest and, on occasion, police searches, but no definitive physical proof has emerged.
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