A mysterious large cat seen prowling the fields and woodlands of south west Hertfordshire has again been spotted – this time in Kings Langley.

Sixteen-year-old Liam Radmore, of Coniston Road, was walking along Barnes Lane when he and his friend, also called Liam, spotted the beast standing in a village field.

Liam, who attends JFK School, in Hemel Hempstead, said: “I was just sitting there waiting for my friend when we saw it. We thought it was a dog.

“My friend whistled to it and we looked round for someone walking it.”

When the boys realised the animal was altogether bigger than a domestic dog they climbed into the field and started walking towards the mystery feline.

Liam said: “It had a slouched back and a massive black tail, but I couldn't see the face.

“To begin with it was just standing in the middle of the field.

“We started walking towards it, which was when it ran off into the woods.”

Liam said the beast ran off into wood in the direction of Chipperfield.

The sighting comes after a motorist contacted the Watford Observer in February claiming to have spotted a panther in a field next to the M25.

Experts told the Watford Observer a law, introduced in the 1970s, banning the keeping of exotic pets has led to many big cats being released into the wild.

Liam added: “It was bigger than any dog.

“And as we got closer you could see it was a big panther.”