A second 'sighting' has sparked a warning that a big cat could be on the prowl around Bury.

Leonora Fleming, who rides her horse along the Roch Valley Greenway every weekend, claims to have seen a panther-like creature in bushes in Pilsworth.

It's the second sighting of a big cat in recent months in the area, after a man reported spotting a puma in the fields behind in house in Radcliffe in July.

In the latest sighting, Ms Fleming, who lives in Heaton Drive, Hollins, was out riding with her friend Nikki Allison on the morning of Saturday, October 20, when she says their horses reacted to something she believes to be a panther.

She said: “We were on our horses and we heard a rustling in the bushes. At first, I just thought it was a fox.

"But then my horse started spinning round and round, and galloping off. I was trying to control him, and while I was spinning round, I saw this black shape and heard a growl.

“I have ridden down there for years and we often see foxes, deer and dogs, but I knew from the horse's reaction that it was not something you ordinarily see. He has never reacted like that before, I feared for my life."

Ms Fleming says the creature they saw was 'about the size of a Dobermann', but is adamant that it was not merely a dog.

“People do walk their dogs down that path, but those bushes are not accessible for people," she said. "It is fenced off between the bridleway and the fishing lake."

“Nikki was behind and her horse was not reacting as badly so she got more of a look at it.

“When we got back to the stables, she said she saw this black shape that was like a big dog. I said it was like a panther and she agreed with me."

Ms Fleming has since reported the sighting to police, but says she also wants to warn dog walkers and cyclists who use the path, which links Pilsworth and Bury.

In July, a man reported spotting a puma in the fields behind in house in Grindsbrook Road, in Radcliffe.

Meanwhile, in July 2016, Radcliffe police were called by a resident who was adamant they had seen a black panther chasing deer in the farmers' fields off Bury New Road, Radcliffe.

Another sighting of a large cat was also reported in August 2017, by Claire Parker.

Mrs Parker told The Bolton News that she had see a large, black cat crossing the fields behind her house in Stopes Road, on the Little Lever and Radcliffe border.