The day police said they thought big cats were roaming in Yorkshire

Yorkshire has long had rumours of big cats roaming the countryside - but on this day in 2003, police fuelled the theories even further.

On September 29, Humberside Police became the first force in England to publicly admit they thought big cats were on the loose in East Yorkshire.

The force’s wildlife officer at the time, Sue Rhodes, told the BBC she thought two big cats, probably a puma or a black leopard, were living wild in the area.

Police said they’d investigated more than 80 sightings of the animals, including one in which three sheep were killed.

Rhodes told the BBC’s Inside Out: “I think perhaps we’re dealing with two cats at least.

“The patches that they’re working are the set size for a large cat, perhaps a black leopard or panther.”

Nick Byass had sheep killed at his farm at Little Weighton, near Beverley, in incidents which were blamed at the time on big cats.

He added: “They were always killed where they slept, as if they were pounced on rather than chased.”

Further weight was added to the speculation the following year when the British Big Cats Society reported a huge spike in sightings in the previous 15 months.

They revealed there were 2,052 sightings between January 2003 and March 2004, with Yorkshire recording the third-highest number nationwide at 127.

Big cat sightings in the region were linked at the time to a change in the law in 1976.

A popular fashion accessory in the 60s and 70s, big cats were even available to buy from Harrods, before a law change made it illegal to keep them without a license.

The change saw some exotic cat owners dump their animals, with experts speculating on whether they could’ve roamed Yorkshire in the years after.

Years before the 2003 Humberside Police claim, in 2000, experts estimated there were more than 100 leopards and pumas roaming the British countryside.