A mythical big cat roaming the UK is real - and DNA tests have confirmed it.

For decades, Brits across the UK have reported seeing big cats, including run ins on country roads, or mysterious unexplained animal deaths.

People have seen big cats stalking fields, causing chaos in parks, and even stalking walkers, but blurry, distant photos and tall tales have made big cats the 'yeti' of the UK countryside.

For decades rumours of a prowling panther have been dismissed as conspiracy theories among ramblers and wildlife fans but now we finally know the truth after a swab taken in the Lake District has confirmed the presence of a big cat roaming our countryside.

The cat in the ‘Panthera’ genus, most likely a leopard, has been positively ID’d after a swab was taken from a dead sheep in the Cumbrian beauty spot.

A member of the public had reported seeing something running away from the savaged sheep before they reported it for testing.

It’s the first time that confirmed big cat DNA has been found on a carcass anywhere in the UK.

The University of Warwick’s Professor Robin Allaby told BBC Wildlife that the discovery has won him over and convinced him a big cat is real. He said: “It makes me a convert. Until now, I have remained open-minded, I think that’s my job as a scientist.”