Big cat expert Danny Nineham has visited Oxfordshire on the trail of the 'Beast of Burford'.

Mr Nineham, who has been following signs of large cats since the early 1990s, travelled from the Forest of Dean to the town to join the hunt for the animal, thought to be a panther.

Recent sightings of a large black cat in the area led to a local wildlife park putting up a reward of £5,000, and the TV show Richard & Judy then upped the stakes with an offer of £1,000 for photographic evidence.

Mr Nineham said he thought it was unlikely anyone could catch the animal without using live bait, which is illegal in this country.

He said: "Trying to catch them is nearly impossible, which is why I try to educate people who've got to live with it. I've got traps if need be but that's a hell of a task."

He said farmers who suspected a panther of killing their livestock should look for sharp claw marks on the body. He said: "You're also looking for a throat bite -- if there's not marks in the throat, it's not a big cat."

Mr Nineham said there were many pumas and black leopards loose in the British countryside. He said: "Panther is just a nickname for a black leopard. The reason people spot them is because they're so black, they stick out like a sore thumb in the countryside, while a puma is tawny so it's harder to see." Mr Nineham would like to hear from anyone who has seen a big cat. Visit his website www.dannynineham.co.uk