Loose Lion: Remember the tiger?

A major search is underway in Essex after reports of a lion loose in the county.

But not every big cat sighting turned out to be the real thing. Last May in Hampshire a full scale alert was sparked when a white tiger was seen crouching in a field near the Ageas Bowl cricket ground.

Police marksmen, zoo keepers and a helicopter were scrambled, and the match between South Wiltshire and Hampshire Academy was stopped for 20 minutes.

But instead of the animal being a dangerous big cat on the loose it turned out to be a giant cuddly toy. A dog walker put his hands up and admitted the whole things was his fault.

Take a look at this report from Jonathan Marland from last year.