A VISITOR claims to have spotted a wild cat while walking with his wife and son in the Lake District.

Duncan Elliot was walking from Hawkshead to Coniston last Monday afternoon when the 'two foot tall, orange' cat was seen in dense woodland.

After research the 60-year-old said he was convinced it was a caracal, a native to Africa, Central Asia, Southwest Asia and India.

"It frightened me so much," he said. "I only saw it for a short amount of time then it ran away into the undergrowth.

"I have been coming up here for 25 years and never seen anything like that. I am being genuine, this is not a hoax. It really frightened me.

"We looked at Kendal Library and from what we saw of its pointy ears and orange skin we believe it was a caracal.

"You hear stories about people keeping animals as pets years ago and releasing them into the wild because of new laws."

Mr Elliot, from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, was visiting the Lakes with wife Jan and son Mike, 24, who has autism.

"Mike was out in front of us and talking to himself as he does," said Mr Duncan. "It was almost as if it was stalking him and ran away when he saw us.

"I wouldn't like to meet it again!"