POLICE were called after a man claimed he saw a big cat roaming in Brynmawr.

The motorist called police as he drove along the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road.

He said the animal was a large, sleek cat with a shiny coat and yellow eyes and was walking along the side of the road at 3.40am on Monday. As the motorist passed the cat, he said it ran into a nearby field and out of sight.

Police went to the area but were unable to trace the animal. Gwent has been dubbed the big cat capital of the UK with numerous sightings being recorded in Hafodyrynys, Blaenavon, Goldcliffe and the Monmouth area over the last few years.

The Argus has previously offered a £300 reward to anyone with photographic evidence of big cats living in Gwent.

Big cat expert Danny Nineham said: "That sounds like the Brynmawr big cat that was prowling around the industrial estate last summer.

"Tracks were found in the mud and a worker saw the big cat walking around a perimeter fence but I haven't had any reports of it for several months now.

"It is probably a black leopard, which can grow more than eight foot from the nose to the tip of the tail."

Mr Nineham added: "There are hundreds of these cats in the wild and I'm having calls about them from all over the UK on a weekly basis.

"It's a national problem but until someone is killed no one is going to take the situation - or me - seriously."

PC Gareth Jones, of Brynmawr police, said: "Officers were sent to the area to investigate but they couldn't locate any cat. We have now passed the details on to the local authority.

"If anyone else should see anything of this nature they are urged to contact Gwent police on 01633 838111."

Other alleged sightings in Gwent have included: Eleven-year-old Josh Hopkins was allegedly attacked by a big cat near his home in Trellech, near Monmouth, in 2000. In August, 2001 a big cat was spotted near Rogiet.

In July, 2002 the so-called Beast of Trellech was spotted at the top car park at Trellech Primary School.

A man from Goytre obtained a plastercast of what he believed was a big cat's footprint on the mountains between Blaenavon and Abergavenny. Kevin Phillips said: "Last year a couple of my sheep were found mutilated on the mountain and I was sure that it was a big cat."