A Yorkshire family were left in shock this weekend after spotting was they think was a 4ft long ‘crocodile’ in their neighbour’s back garden.
It’s not the first sighting of the reptile in the area, either.
The family spoke of their disbelief at seeing the terrifying scaly predator slithering through the grass of their next-door neighbour’s garden.
Sarah Jayne Ellis captured the mysterious creature on camera and told Yorkshire Live the thought the animal was roughly 3 or 4 feet long and that it “looked real.’
The nurse, who had just finished a long shift at the hospital, was shutting the blinds to go to bed when she spied the creature in the long grass outside and took an image of it.
"I thought 'that's a crocodile," she confirmed to YorkshireLive, stating that whilst it didn't move when she initially saw it when she went back hours later it was no longer there.
The picture has now left other locals wondering if there is a croc on the loose in Castleford.
Sarah says that she feels the incident needs to b investigated, especially given the fact that other people have also reported similar sightings around the area.
A very similar event was reported in May last year by wildlife photographer Lee Collings, who was rambling at Castleford's nearby nature reserve when he was also shocked to come across a crocodile 'or caiman'.
Although he didn't have time to snap the creature before it slithered away, being out on a family walk without his proper photography equipment, but felt sure that he had not imagined the sighting - later being told that had dumped a caiman around that area.
However, he was still ridiculed by some at the time who dubbed it the "Cass-ness monster". Now, it appears that this new sighting supports his finding, with both being described as between 3 and 4 foot in length.
A caiman is a small alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, similar to a small crocodile. Whilst some people do keep caimans as pets in the UK, to do so requires a licence under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.
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Jungle are back and have announced a huge Leeds gig for later this year
Modern funk and soul band Jungle are officially heading back to Leeds.
The Mercury Prize-nominated group will be performing at the First Direct Bank Arena this November, following their blistering summer on the festival circuit last year.
They'll be heading to Leeds on Saturday 21 November 2026.
Jungle was formed back in 2013 by producers and friends Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland.
While they technically worked as a duo for years (until 2023, when touring member Lydia Kitto became an official member of the band), Jungle are known for their huge live performances.
They always fill stages with musicians and vocalists, for incredible funk n soul live shows.
The bands huge hits include Back on 74, Casio, and Busy Earnin’, from four top-10 albums including 2023’s groundbreaking Volcano.
The upcoming Leeds date forms part of the band’s upcoming world tour, which arrives in the UK in November 2026 following a string of international performances across Europe, North America, and beyond.
Fans can expect a setlist jam packed with standout tracks, including fan favourites such as ‘Volcano’ and ‘Back On 74’ and newer material from their upcoming album ‘Sunshine’, released on 14 August that continues to push the band’s signature sound forward.
With over 3.4 billion streams to their name, Jungle’s Leeds show is set to be one of the hottest tickets of 2026 so we wouldn't mess about if we were you.
Tickets for Jungle in Manchester will go on general sale from 10am on Friday 27 March, with pre-sale from 10am on Thursday 26 March.
Leeds band Yard Act announce 2026 UK tour including homecoming gig
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024.
We are so, so back.
It's been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a small selection of UK gigs for later in the year including a homecoming gig at the O2 Academy on Friday 6 November.
The dates follow the band’s first show of the year at the 6Music Festival this Friday across The Pennines in Manchester.
After Leeds, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on Friday 13 November before making their way down south to the O2 Academy in Brixton on Thursday 26 November.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album Where’s My Utopia? with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August 2024.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy. It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have remained active, whether writing Where’s My Utopia’s follow-up on scratching the itch to get back on stage, heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives, which was preceded by an intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to the Autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait.
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday 27 March. Sign up here.
Georgina Pellant -
20th September 2021 
