A SIGHTING of a large cat sparked a police alert on Portland.

Officers swooped on Church Ope Cove late yesterday morning after a call from a worried member of the public.

The caller told police he had seen a black cat "about the size of an Alsatian" near a cliff as he walked towards the cove.

Acting Sergeant Jamie Clark of Portland Police was called to the scene to investigate.

He said today: "We've no doubt about the authenticity of the call. A man who lives in the area rang us after spotting what he described as a large black cat near the cliff. He said it was about 50 yards away from where he stood and was about the size of an Alsatian dog."

Acting Sgt Clark added: "I checked out the area but was unable to find anything. We certainly haven't had any reports of escaped animals in the area.

"There is no cause for alarm but any more sightings should be reported to the police."

Sightings of a 'Black Beast' were reported in 1989 when islanders said they saw a creature around the Weares, describing it as a dark tabby feral cat about the size of a spaniel.

The sightings followed a reign of terror in the Westham area of Weymouth when pets were killed by a beast - believed to be a large feral cat.