By Katie Neame

Dorset has a long history of supernatural and unexplained happenings...

The first recorded sighting of an unexplained object in the sky took place in the county in December of 1733.

The witness was a Mr James Cracker from the village of Fleet, who reported seeing a silvery disk in the sky that “shot with speed like a star falling in the night”.

In 2013, mysterious lights were seen flashing over Zig Zag Hill near Shaftesbury.

Mark Lichtensteiger, who sent photos of the event into the Echo, said he was “baffled” by the lights.

He added: “It does fuel your imagination a bit.”

The county also has its fair share of ghost stories.

A nasty old woman reportedly haunts Weymouth promenade, while the angry ghost of a long-deceased vicar is said to be found at St Peter’s Church in Dorchester.

Wolfeton House near Charminster and Athelhampton House outside Dorchester are both apparently home to multiple ghosts, with the latter named amongst the UK’s most haunted houses.

There have also been numerous unexplained sightings of exotic animals.

Back in 2013, it was reported that a ‘large black panther’ was prowling near Monkey’s Jump roundabout.

In fact, between 2006 and 2013, there were a total of 53 emergency calls reporting wild cat encounters.

Such animals are rumoured to be the offspring of exotic pets released into the wild by their owners following the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976.

Again in 2013, a monkey was reportedly seen in Fordington.

Terri Leigh Cox, who caught the creature on camera, said: “It was such a shock, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing at first.

“It was definitely a monkey because you could tell by its hunched back and the way it scampered across the field and up the tree.”

A nearby resident, Jean Cumber, said at the time: “It does seem very strange but I would never say never about anything.”