The Hound of Herne Hill? (From Streatham Guardian)

The Hound of Herne Hill?

6:00pm Friday 26th September 2008 in Search By Matt Watts

The Loch Ness monster, the Beast of Bodmin Moor – Britain is no stranger to phantom creatures roaming its shores.

Now a mystery beast dubbed the Hound of Herne Hill is terrorising residents of SE24.

Back gardens have been savaged and possessions left out at night ripped to shreds by a creature residents swear is neither a dog nor a fox.

No official sightings have been made, but speculation is rife that a creature not native to the area may be at large.

One such believer is Warmington Road resident Madeleine Nock, 44, who said the creature has visited her back garden on a number of occasions.

In June it ripped her children’s football to shreds, and last Monday she woke to find her gardening gloves in pieces. The next day a softball left in her back garden was shredded.

“I don’t know what it could be, but genuinely I find it quite scary.”

Madeleine Nock

“I don’t know what it could be, but genuinely I find it quite scary,” she said.

“Other people I know have had similar incidents and we are all scratching our heads.”

She said she did not believe foxes – which were only interested in food scraps – would be capable of tearing items such as gardening gloves to pieces.

She insisted there were very few dogs in the vicinity – and she had been assured that none were free to roam at night.

“What’s strange is this creature doesn’t make a sound – and always strikes in the dead of night,” she added.

She said she is so genuinely concerned that she is considering bringing her children’s rabbit, Jiffy, in at night in case he is the next victim.

A Lambeth Council parks employee said there had been no sightings of strange animals, nor had any birds or other animals been killed in neighbouring Brockwell Park recently.

And no animals have been reported to have escaped from zoos.

Local nature expert Tony Drakeford said people should not be overly concerned as foxes were surprisingly capable of such destruction.

He said: “I have seen young foxes rip things up as practice for catching their prey.”

• Each month yourlocalguardian offers £50 for the best picture readers send in.

This month the prize will go to the best snap a reader can get of the beast, or what they believe it might be.

Please email them to mwatts@london.newsquest.co.uk.