A MOTORIST has reported seeing a big cat alongside the A55 - the latest in a spate of such encounters in recent weeks.

The driver saw what he believed was a puma at about 5.45pm on Sunday, January 3.

It is the latest sighting to be reported to Puma Watch North Wales, a group set up to monitor such reports.

The witness was travelling eastbound on the A55 when they spotted the animal near the Rhaullt roundabout at the bottom of Rhault Hill.

They said: “I was driving towards Chester on the A55 and just before the Rhuallt Hill noticed a large animal sprint along the tree line.

“It was dark and I only saw for a couple of seconds as was travelling at speed, but the animal was also sprinting in the opposite direction towards the Rhuallt roundabout.

“It was much larger than any domestic animal which is why it caught my attention.”

The latest sighting was just four days after another driver saw a mystery creature on the A548 Coast Road near Talacre.

That suspected big cat was spotted on the A548 at Tanlan, near Talacre, at about 6.30pm on New Years Eve.

The witness said they saw "a large cat roughly the size of a Labrador. On the road, where the road turns to a national speed limit".

They added that the cat was dark grey in colour and headed towards the trees alongside the road.

The creature was spotted along the same coast road as Abakhan Fabrics, where a puma sighting was reported on New Years Day in 2015. That sighting occurred at about 8.30pm.

Also, another witness came forward claiming to have seen a creature resembling a lynx near Mostyn Docks in 2017, a beast they believe was responsible for mauling their dog.

It also comes after suspicious badger killings in Whitford and a report of mystery beasts in Abergele and Pentre Halkyn at the end of last year.

The cluster of sightings and other encounters has led to Tony Jones, of Puma Watch North Wales, to believe their is at least one cat that has marked the area as its territory.

He said: "The location is less than five miles from Whitford, where it’s suspected a big cat has been killing badgers. Three further sightings, including an attack on a pet dog, have been reported in that area.

"Just a few miles in the opposite direction is Abergele, where a puma was recently spotted near to Gwrych Castle, and this sighting at Rhaullt is right at the end of the Clwydian Hills, where a population of pumas are known to exist.

He added: "Whitford, Abakhan and Tanlan are all within the same two-mile radius, and as pumas are usually solitary animals roaming a territory of around 30 square miles, it’s highly likely it’s the same animal being spotted each time.

"This radius is only five miles from a sighting near Pentre Halkyn, another area where the cats are often spotted, back in October."