THE big cat that sparked a police hunt in St Osyth was exactly that....a big cat.

Ginny Murphy believes her pet, a large ginger Maine Coon cat called Ted, was the “lion” holidaymakers reported seeing.

She said Ted, who is 25ins long and often hunts rabbits in fields at Earls Hall Farm.

It appears caravaners mistook three-year-old Ted for a lion and called the police on Sunday at 7pm, prompting a search involving the force’s helicopter and armed officers.

Ginny, 51, of Leisure Glades Park, St Osyth, said: “He is quite a big cat and looking at the photo I think it is definitely him.

FULL STORY IN THURSDAY'S GAZETTE