AN ABLE seaman from Scotland staying overnight in Lydney got the shock of his life when at 4.45am the garage security lights shot on, and he looked out into the eyes of a wildcat.

Alex Matheson, who works at the Royal Navy's Faslane base, was staying overnight with his father-in-law, Angus Brazenall, in Highfield Road on the outskirts of town.

Rising before dawn to go to Gosforth, he saw the garage's security lights suddenly light up and he drew the curtains to look out.

"What he saw was a big cat the size of a large dog fox," says Mr Brazenall, taking up the story. "Bushy ringed tail, pointed ears and two dark stripes in front of its face. He's a bit of a follower of Ray Mears and he is certain it was a wildcat. It had all the right markings and was certainly a lot larger than a normal cat."

Mr Brazenall, who also hails from Scotland and only moved to the Forest three years ago, said they have a fully enclosed garden and it had always perplexed him as to how the family had two of their large rabbits taken on two consecutive nights shortly after they arrived.

"They were big rabbits and I couldn't imagine a fox would have been able to get over the fence carryiing one of them."

This left an unanswered question: could it be a wild cat?

Steve Piper from Scottishwildcats said: "A wildcat in the Forest of Dean would be quite a surprise, someway off the beaten track for the species. If anyone ever gets a photo of it I'd love to see it. They do turn up in some unexpected places occasionally although sadly the sightings usually turn out to be big feral cats."

•A report of a wildcat in the Forest would indeed be remarkable. The cat, now confined to northern Scotland was last seen in southern England in the 16th Century. The last recorded in northern England was shot in 1849.

Although it looks similar to a domestic cat, and there is known to be some inbreeding, it is about 50 per cent larger than the average moggy. The remnant remaining in the Highlands (thought to be about 400) is Britain's only remaining large wild predator. In appearance it looks like a very muscular domestic tabby with wide jaws and with a thick tail with brown or black bands ending in a blunt black tip.