Now here's an unusual story - according to the website Puma Watch and the group's social media channels, a big black cat has been sighted on Kestrel Road in Heswall.

The eyewitness said he believed it could have been a puma, a type of cat also known as a cougar or panther.

Puma Watch reported today that the sighting was made by a gentleman called Terry.

"After hearing the sound of cats fighting around 2 AM on Sunday 15th August, Terry looked and saw the 'large' creature on the street.

"He told Puma Watch: 'I heard a cry like cats fighting.

'I saw a large cat about the size of a German shepherd dog walking down the road.

'It was limping on the rear left leg'."

Later that morning, Terry reported the sighting via Puma Watch's online form.

Puma Watch adds that previous sightings of big cats on the Wirral include Willaston, Prenton, Bidston Hill and Burton Woods. You can read more by clicking or tapping here.

'Puma' sightings appear to be relatively common - three days ago it was reported that a woman in Scotland captured footage of a large black cat in her garden at night.

Taken by her doorbell camera, the grainy, night time video shows a large creature identified by some as 'an adult puma'.

Note: the cat hadn't rung the bell...

Puma Watch says: "When big cats were banned as pets in the 1970s, it was legal to release them into the countryside to avoid expensive rehoming costs.

"Owners from across the UK travelled to areas like Wales to release their cats in the remote environment, where small but significant populations have thrived ever since."

And adds: "As seen with Llandundo's now-famous goats, who have taken to roaming the town's deserted streets during the coronavirus lockdowns, it's likely that the reduced levels of human activity over the last year is encouraging big cats to roam further from the hills into more populated areas."

The good news is that pumas pose little threat to human beings - they do not identify us as prey.

Have you seen a large cat on our patch? Please let us know.