Farmer sees beast of Mylor

By Stephen Ivall

A MYLOR farmer chased a huge puma-like cat for more than 300 yards on Tuesday before it went over a hedge into a field of wheat and disappeared.

Mr Trent Meyers, who farms Landerio Farm, between Mylor and Flushing, said there was little doubt it was a "very large" cat.

"It was huge with a long tail about 3ft 6ins long. Just like the ones that have been described recently," he said.

"It shook me. I was out fixing a gate and spotted something move in the hedge. Then it moved. It took off like a flash and up the field it went. I chased it up the field by bike. it then went over the hedge. It had a huge long tail. "

Mr Meyers' machine can reach 40mph on rough ground but the animal was quicker.

In the adjacent field he wondered whether the cat could be feeding on pigeons. "Someone was shooting there yesterday," said Mr Meyers.

He immediately notified police who contacted the Ministry of Agriculture.

Mr Meyers said he was surprised by what he saw but there was no mistake, it was a big cat. The dairy farmer, who works 70 acres of the Trefuses Estate, said his wife often took the family dogs walking and recently went near an old quarry on his land when for some reason the dogs "went bananas".

Whether the cat had been using the quarry as a lair and spooked them he did not know.

Drugs haul 'biggest ever in Cornwall'

By Hugh Cadman

THE drugs stake-out at sleepy Durgan on the Helford estuary netted customs officers a massive haul worth £13 million on the street – the biggest ever drugs bust in Cornwall.

Monday's 6am operation uncovered nearly four tonnes of cannabis resin, or 'hash', hidden aboard a sleek yacht believed to have come up the secluded estuary from Morocco.

Five people from the north east of England were arrested in the swoop, including two women. This mammoth drugs cache has once again highlighted the ease with which huge quantities can find their way on to the Cornish coast ready for overland transport "up the line".

The well co-ordinated operation off tiny Durgan involved police officers, some armed, from both No 2 Regional Crime Quad in the north east and Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.

But it was customs officers who made the five arrests.

The dramatic events are also believed to have been part of a six-month long undercover operation code-name 'Auk', which has trailed drug-runners from north Africa. The seaborne 'hash' stash was so huge that six customs officers later had to spend many hours unloading the 42ft schooner 'Melanie' at Port Pendennis shipyard in Falmouth.

Night patrol of just seven Pcs

By Stephen Ivall

A REORGANISATION of policing in Carrick left the whole district with just seven police constables on duty on Friday night.

Between them they shared such areas as Falmouth and Truro and up as far as the north coast.

But police chiefs have denied there were any problems. There were only eight incidents overnight.

In future fewer officers would be on duty in the "quieter hours" to enable better distribution of manpower at other times.

Superintendent Keith Shepherd said there were sufficient numbers on duty on Friday but it was also the first night of the change-over to geographic policing in the district.

Criticism had earlier been made that as few as five police constables had been on duty without any sergeants but with one duty inspector from 2am until 7am.