Big cat spotters are mounting an overnight vigil in Leicestershire over the Bank Holiday weekend.

They are convinced they will encounter a panther which has apparently been spotted across south Leicestershire in recent weeks.

A big black cat was spotted in the Church Langton area, near Market Harborough, early on Sunday, August 9.

A similar animal was also seen sitting on the pavement outside a house in Kibworth early last Tuesday morning.

The owner of a small industrial estate also believes a big cat has been visiting a compound in Upper Bruntingthorpe, near Lutterworth. He said it has left paw prints and droppings.

The Rutland and Leicestershire Panther Watch group has organised the weekend vigil.

Spokesman Nigel Spencer said: "The recent sightings of a big cat follows other incidents in the area.

"However, I don't believe the animal seen in the Kibworth and Church Langton areas is the same as the one at Upper Bruntingthorpe. They are too far apart."

"A landowner has given us permission to mount a vigil where there have been a number of sightings. The location is being kept secret because we don't want outsiders scaring the animal off.

"We also don't want idiots with guns trying to shoot it. We have heard there are some people who have boasted about doing that if they see a big cat."

Joanne Hulls, of Hillcrest Avenue, Kibworth, believes she saw a panther sitting on the pavement opposite her house.

She said: "It was about 2.40am on Tuesday and my partner had just gone off to work. I heard a strange noise and looked out of the window.

"I could not believe it. It was a black panther-like cat.

"It was much larger than a domestic cat and had a big head. It was making a funny noise, not like a domestic cat.

"I made a noise to attract its attention and it turned to look at me and walked off."

A Church Langton resident said her husband saw a big cat in The Causeway early one morning.

She said: "My husband saw one at about 5.30am on Sunday a week ago. It was in the road and then went through a hedge.

"It was black and the size of a big dog."

Upper Bruntingthorpe industrial estate owner Lewis Guttridge said: "We have now installed motion-sensitive cameras at the site. When the animal returns, I am sure we will capture it on film."

Sightings can be e-mailed to:

bigcat-sightings@fsmr.org.uk.