An 8ft tall hairy creature which can stand upright like a man is said to be prowling a derelict industrial area just outside of Hull.
One eye-witness claims to have seen the “half-man, half-dog” lurking around the banks of Barmston Drain at Christmas and since then there have six further reported sightings.
A woman told the Express: “It was stood upright one moment. The next it was down on all fours running like a dog. I was terrified.
“It bounded along on all fours, then stopped and reared up on its back legs, before running down the embankment towards the water.
“It vaulted 30ft over to the other side and vanished up the embankment and over a wall into some allotments.”
Another person told the Hull Daily Mail they had seen something “tall and hairy” jump over an 8ft fence, carrying a German Shepherd in its jaws.
The sightings have been linked to the local legend of a werewolf called Old Stinker, described by author Charles Christian as “a great hairy beast with red eyes, who was so-called because he had bad breath.”
The legend was borne because that part of the country was once infested with wolves, Christian explains, pointing out that up until the 18 century there was still a bounty for anyone killing them.
“It was known for the wolves to dig up the corpses from graveyards. From that sprung the idea that they are supernatural beings, who took the form of werewolves,” he told the Hull Daily Mail.
Paranormal investigator Lee Brickely told Huffington Post UK: "It's a case I'm following closely, and it certainly raises many issues relating to the existence of werewolves in the UK.
"For the time being, I'd like to see more evidence and reports from locals."
Brickley, who is the author of UFOs, Werewolves & The Pig-Man, added: "As most people are aware, my home turf Cannock Chase is renowned for such encounters, and I'd most definitely like to investigate this case further. It appears, yet again, that there are many similarities within the sighting reports, and so I wouldn't rule this out as being a genuine paranormal encounter.
"Whether people believe werewolves are flesh and blood creatures or just beastly apparitions is another matter entirely."
But despite the 'evidence', Christian is sceptical that Old Stinker is back on the prowl.
Speaking to Huffington Post UK he said the animal is more likely to be “some feral creature living there that has got large and shaggy – like a big dog.”
Musing that it is likely to be a large breed that has been let go by owners who can no longer care for, Christian guesses it could be a Japanese Akita or a Husky.
“There has been a fashion for Huskies as pets and they grow enormous. The area where this animal is being sighted is semi-derelict and filled with abandoned warehouses and factories – an idea shelter for it," he said.
Christian, who is the author of A Travel Guide to Yorkshire's Wild Wolds added: “I wouldn’t advise stocking up silver bullets just yet. But I would advise against going out in the area by yourself without a big stick.”
Nonetheless, Hull historian Mike Covell has organised a nighttime “werewolf hunt” during the next full moon.
Covell said: "The idea is to visit the drain and walk along it armed with recording equipment. It has attracted a lot of interest and although people are taking it with a pinch of salt, they are fascinated by the reports."
He might want to keep Christian’s advice in mind. Just in case.