Landscape gardener Colin Booth had the shock of his life on Monday afternoon when a black panther strolled out of a hedge he was cutting back at Rowden Hill, Chippenham.

Instead of running away or attacking him, the animal just glanced out of the corner of its eye and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Mr Booth said: "The cat walked towards me and was only 20 feet away.

"I have two German shepherd dogs and it was a good six inches longer then them and about the same height. Its ears were flat against its small head and it was very muscular.

"Its coat was jet black and shone as it walked. It was a beautiful creature and had a profound effect on me I will remember it for the rest of my life."

Mr Booth is convinced the animal was not a domestic cat and has been looking through wildlife books to find anything like it.

He said: "It was such a privilege to be there and I hope people will leave it alone. I informed the police because I thought they might want to warn people.

"There is nothing to be frightened of. I wouldn't want to have got any closer but it was not threatening and I think it would be more interested in catching rabbits." Wildlife expert Terry Hooper has listened to the description of the animal and is almost certain that it was a panther.

He said sightings were not uncommon and there are about 25 or 30 reports of big cats each year in Wiltshire.

He said: "Panthers can cover 35 to 40 miles a night and there have been many sightings in counties that surround Wiltshire.

"We usually receive up to 300 reports a year from people nationwide."

Mr Hooper works for the Bristol-based exotic animals register and blames poor licensing arrangements and old customs for the number of big cats roaming the countryside.

He said: "There was a massive trade in exotic animals during Victorian times and when estates were closed or became run down they escaped over the walls.

"Licensing changed in 1976 and it became easy to bend the rules a lot of illegal breeding is going on.

"People should not be too frightened of them as we have records dating from as far back as 1843 and there are no reports of anybody being attacked.

"We would advise people not to try to catch them, but if one was cornered it would probably just hiss and raise its paw."

If you have seen the panther, please contact the Wiltshire Times newsdesk on (01225) 352487 or email wtimes@newswilts.co.uk.