Freedom of Information request leads to fresh rumours about whether big cats could be on the loose in Cambridgeshire

For decades there have been reports of large wild cats roaming the Cambridgeshire countryside.

Now, in response to a freedom of information request, the police have revealed that they've been contacted about eight sightings since 2010.

However, not all people are convinced about the sightings.

Rebecca Willers, the curator of Shepreth Wildlife Park, is sceptical about the evidence that big cats are living wild.

In 1994 a video capturing a mysterious beast was shot near Peterborough.

Recent sightings in Cambridgeshire include a very large wild cat seen at Little Eversden in 2010 and a Puma type animal running across a garden in Upwood in 2011.

There was also a report that a large wild cat had been attacking pet cats in the village of Great Shelford just outside Cambridge.

Big cat expert Ken Sims from Norfolk has been investigating sightings for many years, and he says that it is plausible that big cats could sneak under the radar.

Staff at Shepreth Wildlife Park say none of their big cats are missing, but experts say if any have been released or escaped from private collections it's just possible that wild cats are out there.

Click below to watch a report from ITV News Anglia's Stuart Leithes